


So What If I'm Pregnant?

by Graceful_Storyteller



Series: Knocked Up [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Crack, Hurt/Comfort, Loki related violence, M/M, Mpreg, cuteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-01
Updated: 2013-06-13
Packaged: 2017-11-06 13:42:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 25,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/419547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Graceful_Storyteller/pseuds/Graceful_Storyteller
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Loki accepts he's pregnant and everyone else has to deal.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Did anyone tell Thor?

**Author's Note:**

> Continued by popular demand.

A week later the news that Loki is pregnant with Tony Stark’s child hits the tabloids. Bruce watches from the relative safety of the kitchen as Tony tries to convince a fuming Loki not to burn down every media centre in the state of New York. Apparently the Norse god takes offense at the fervent-eyed journalists’ speculations that he is female (he’s not, Bruce checked when he performed the first medical exam that discovered Loki was pregnant) and that he has been ‘tamed’ by the infamous billionaire. The dagger protruding from the centre of the TV and the still smouldering remains of Steve’s morning paper show that Loki is anything but tame. He’s a wild thing and being pregnant isn’t about to change that.

Loki kicks the coffee table into the wall and Tony dives to the side to avoid being impaled by flying shards of glass. “Hey, what have I told you about breaking my stuff?!”

“If you do not want ‘your stuff’ broken you should cease your foolish pleas for me to spare the lives of these wretched mortals,” Loki snarls. “I _will_ have my retribution Stark; you cannot stop me.”

Tony glares as he stands and brushes pieces of broken table from his person. “You do realise that roasting those vultures, while very entertaining to watch, will be taken as an act of unprovoked hostility by SHIELD?”

“I do not care how your petty organisation designates my actions,” Loki sneers.

“I know you don’t; but you will when they tear up the deal I made with them and order the Avengers to bring you in.”

Bruce still isn’t sure how Tony managed to swing that, how he was able to convince Fury to temporarily downgrade Loki from ‘Villain’ to ‘Neutral’. He has a suspicion it’s related to a conversation he overheard between Fury and Hill in which Fury commented, “I don’t think I could come up with a worse punishment than being pregnant with Stark’s child.”

Loki is still sneering as he says, “I have already proven that your prisons cannot hold me. What have I to fear?”

Tony strides purposefully towards Loki until he is stood well and truly in his personal space. Loki doesn’t flinch, although the sneer does drop from his lips.

“What you have to fear,” Tony says quietly, “is a pissed off father if anything happens to his child.”

Loki is silent. He stares at Tony, his expression unreadable. Then his face crumples and he whispers, “How can you have so much love for something that is not yet born?”

The steel leaves Tony’s eyes as an easy smile takes over his lips. He wraps his arms around Loki and pulls him into an embrace. Loki is limp, all the fight taken out of him. Slowly, hesitantly, he lifts his arms to return the hug.

Beside Bruce Steve releases a thankful breath. “Nice work Stark,” he mumbles as he turns to find coffee.

Bruce nods in silent concurrence. If Loki had been pregnant with anyone other than Tony’s child things would have been very different. Nobody else would have reacted with such unwavering optimism and enthusiasm to the news that Loki would in nine months give birth to their love child. Nobody else would have stood up to Loki and told him what he could and could not do now that he was pregnant. Nobody else would have taken all of Loki’s snarling antagonism, his smiling threats to abort or cause bodily harm, and seen them as a front for how utterly lost and confused he was. Loki didn’t know how to react to being pregnant besides denying it – but Tony did. That, Bruce suspects, is the reason why Loki didn’t kill Tony the moment he accepted he was pregnant. Killing the one person who knows what to do, who is there to take your hand and lead the way with a dazzling smile, is a foolish thing to do and Loki is no fool. Loki might ridicule Tony and his plans for the future, but Bruce thinks he is intrigued by Iron Man’s dream of a sprawling mansion with a white picket fence operated by JARVIS that is still somehow viewed as a threat to national security. Bruce can’t see any other reason Loki would choose to stick around, to not rid himself of the foetus and the responsibility that comes with it, if he didn’t hope (at least a little) that Tony’s dream might become more than sanguine fantasy. In short, they were lucky that it was Tony who was crazy enough to knock up the god of chaos and not some other unsuspecting idiot, who would have undoubtedly been the first of many to die at the hands of an apoplectic self-destructing Loki.

Just as Loki appears to be getting comfortable in Tony’s arms the peace is disturbed by the rumble of nearby thunder. Loki rips himself from Tony’s embrace and stares wide-eyed at the suddenly dark sky. They all know that thunder, and what follows.

“Sir, Thor has just arrived on the penthouse balcony,” JARVIS informs them as the silence is once again torn asunder by the thunder.

“Bring him down JARVIS,” Tony orders, his eyes flickering between the ceiling and Loki’s tense form.

“Very good sir.”

Just as Bruce is wondering whether anybody had bothered to inform Thor of his brother’s condition, Steve voices his question and illustrates it with an awkward and vague flick of his wrist in Loki’s direction. Tony gives him a crooked smile and says, “We didn’t want to interrupt his alone time with Jane.” Which was another way of saying that they hadn’t been sure how Thor would react to the news and nobody had wanted to be the one to break it to him.

All eyes turn to the elevator as the doors ping and noiselessly glide open to reveal the god of thunder. Thor strides into the common room, his face stony. Bruce watches as Tony’s eyes slide from Thor’s hammer to the god’s face, and quickly adopts a shit-eating grin. Thor, however, only has eyes for Loki. “Is it true brother? What the smiling people say on the magic box – are you with Tony Stark’s child?”

Loki regards Thor critically, his hands curled loosely by his sides as if he is about to reach for his daggers. His body is like a coiled spring – tense and poised to attack at the slightest provocation. Slowly, he nods.

The smile that illuminates Thor’s face is almost blinding. “Brother! Congratulations! We must hold a feast to celebrate this joyous occasion!”

Thor rushes forward, his arms outstretched to embrace Loki, but the trickster recoils and hisses, “Do not touch me you bumbling oaf.”

Thor stops in his tracks, the smile gradually slipping from his face. His arms hang in the air for a moment before sagging down to his sides. The god of thunder looks as if someone has just kicked his puppy and told him Santa Claus isn’t real. The look tugs at Bruce’s heartstrings and he’s about to step out into the danger zone when Tony says, “What the hell,” and raises his arms invitingly. “Hug it out Big Guy.”

The blinding smile returns as Thor turns to Tony and lifts him off the ground with the force of his enthusiasm. “Friend Stark! It pleases me greatly that you are the one to grace my brother with the gift of a new life! Truly this child shall be blessed with the two of you as its sires!”

“Ribs! Breaking!” Tony chokes from his position crushed against Thor’s chest.

Thor releases him with an apologetic, “I am sorry my friend, sometimes I forget my strength.” The god laughs and rests a heavy hand on Tony’s shoulder, causing the shorter man to wince.

“Yeah, sometimes I forget that I can snap people like twigs too,” Tony says as he gently cradles his ribs.

The sudden glow of green and gold catches their attention and they all turn in time to see the venomous look on Loki’s face before he disappears. The four Avengers continue to stare at the space the god of mischief was previously occupying for a moment longer before Tony sighs.

“I suppose it was a little too optimistic to assume he’d stick around for family therapy.”

“He’ll be back,” Bruce says with a reassuring smile.

“Yeah,” Tony agrees with a quite laugh and a fond smile. “There’s no way he’d leave without stealing my AC/DC shirt first – he’s grown quite attached to that thing.”

“I haven’t seen him in an AC/DC shirt,” Steve says with a frown. “At least, I don’t think I have.”

“You haven’t,” Tony says with a grin. “He only wears it in the bedroom.”

“That’s all I need to know,” Steve says as he makes a hasty retreat from the kitchen to the elevator.

Tony watches him go with a smirk that says he desperately wants to brag about his sex life and make Steve blush in one go, but Thor’s hand on his shoulder successfully quashes the impulse. The thunder god gives Tony a regretful look and says, “I am sorry that my presence drives my brother away. I am sure that you wish to be with him during this time.”

Tony shrugs. “Loki’s Loki. He likes his drama and his temper tantrums. Sometimes it’s best to just give him some space to calm down and get his shit together. Don’t worry about it MC Hammer. He’ll be back. I’m just glad he didn’t break any more of my stuff before he left.”

Thor nods and gives Tony’s shoulder a gentle squeeze before releasing him. A smile returns to his lips as he says, “My friend, we have much to discuss. We must compare what is considered proper practice in the rearing of an infant.”

Tony grins. “Way ahead of you Thor. JARVIS, bring up the data on child development.”

“Yes sir.”

Bruce smiles as Tony begins to discuss his new favourite subject – his unborn child. He turns to collect the now cold tea he had entered the kitchen to make before this whole debacle began. He places the mug in the microwave and waits for the tea to reheat. With that done he finally retreats from the kitchen, the sound of Tony and Thor’s animated discussion making him laugh softly as the elevator takes him to his lab.  
***  
The news the next day does not lead with the story of a number of prominent journalists in New York (and a couple of morning news presenters in New Mexico) found naked with collars and leashes around their necks in very public places. The media decide without any prompting from SHIELD to keep this story quiet. They get the message.

All subsequent news reports on Loki are a lot more respectful and always refer to him as, “The magnanimous and benevolent Prince Loki of Asgard.”


	2. This is Bruce's sofa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of hurt/comfort this chapter because I couldn't have EVERYONE be ok with Loki being pregnant.

“Am I being naive?”

 

Bruce looks over at the reclining figure of Tony Stark. He’s clutching his sixth, maybe seventh, beer to his chest and wearing a morose expression. Bruce forces a smile and says, “Don’t take what Clint said to heart. He’s angry and hurt but he’ll get over it.”

 

“You didn’t answer my question.”

 

Bruce sighs and sips his own beer. Earlier that day the Avengers had assembled to be officially debriefed on the Loki situation. Clint, who had read the papers and thought it an elaborate hoax, had not taken the news well. He’d calmly demanded that SHIELD reconsider its position and arrest Loki. When Fury had told him that wasn’t going to happen he’d lost his temper; he’d called Loki all sorts of names and said that he was carrying the Antichrist. Thor had bellowed that Clint should not be so disrespectful of his kin. Tony had invaded Clint’s personal space and told him never to talk about his kid or Loki like that again. Clint had remembered himself then. He’d told Tony that he was naive to think Loki would change for him, that he was letting his emotions cloud his judgement. He’d stormed out of the meeting with Natasha, who had paused long enough to warn them all that if Loki or the child proved a threat she wouldn’t hesitate to do her duty and end them. Tony had been pensive ever since.

 

“I don’t think you’re being naive Tony. I think you’re being optimistic – which is very different from being naive. The way I see it this whole thing can go one of two ways: either being a parent makes Loki reconsider his profession as a universal threat to freedom and property value, or it changes nothing. Clearly Fury thinks that first one is a viable option otherwise he wouldn’t have downgraded Loki’s threat status. SHIELD must think your unique brand of madness and optimism has a chance of changing Loki or they wouldn’t have given you the opportunity to try. So to answer your question: no, I don’t think you’re naive. I think you’re insane; which is actually a good thing because no sane person would have been able to convince Loki that being knocked up isn’t a good reason to blow up a historic landmark.”

 

“He wasn’t going to blow up the Statue of Liberty. He was going to arrange it so that it looked like she was being gangbanged by a load of other famous statues. He thought that would be more offensive.” Tony takes a swig of his beer before adding, “And thank you Bruce. Your confidence in my lack of sanity is reassuring.”

 

Tony smiles and Bruce smiles back. He hates it when Tony is depressed or doubting himself. Tony Stark – billionaire, playboy, arrogant narcissistic bastard – is supposed to do neither of those things and it always seems wrong whenever Bruce witnesses it. Tony is one of those people who has everything and is supposed to be happy. He _deserves_ to be happy after all he has done for people and all the shit he’s been through. That’s another reason why Bruce (and Steve and possibly even Fury) are a lot more relaxed about the Loki situation than maybe they should be. The news that Tony was going to be a dad had made him so unbelievably happy that Bruce couldn’t help being happy for him. Tony finding happiness in something healthy (actually that was debateable – it was hard to describe anything even vaguely related to Loki as healthy) such as being a father was excellent news. Of course, it wasn’t that simple (nothing about Tony was ever simple) – they had no idea if the child would be human, or how Loki was going to give birth, or if he’d actually put up with his pregnancy for the full term (whatever length of time that would be) – but still, it was hard to begrudge Tony being happy over something _normal_ like paternity. Others might see things differently, might see this all as one big security risk or a wasted opportunity to capture Loki while he was vulnerable, but those people didn’t know Tony like Bruce did and didn’t realise that when Tony Stark set his mind to making his crazy impossible dreams come true he always found a way to make them reality. That was how he became Iron Man and created a new element, how he convinced all the Avengers to live together (semi)peacefully in the Avengers Tower, how he managed to befriend The Other Guy and make Bruce befriend him too. Tony had a way of making the impossible happen, and Bruce didn’t doubt that given the opportunity and the motivation Tony would be able to convince Loki to settle down and play happy families with him. Or at least convince him to only blow up stuff that belongs to criminals and to non-lethally hug his kid on a regular basis.

 

Suddenly, there is a bright flash of golden light and Loki appears in the middle of Bruce’s living room.

 

“Sir, you have a visitor.”

 

“I can see that JARVIS,” Tony deadpans as he sits up and sets his empty beer bottle aside.

 

Loki’s face is a mask as he stares at Tony. He abruptly turns to Bruce and hisses, “Get out.”

 

If Bruce was still suicidal he would tell Loki that this was his floor of the Avengers Tower and that if Loki wanted to talk privately with Tony he could do so in Tony’s own quarters. However, Bruce’s time as an Avenger has given him a healthy appreciation of life and so he silently stands and leaves for his bedroom. He tries not to laugh when Tony says, “This is his floor you know; technically we should be the ones leaving.” More proof of Tony’s suicidal tendencies.

 

Once he is safely hidden behind a closed door, Bruce glances up at the ceiling and says, “JARVIS, would you consider listening in on their conversation an invasion of their privacy or a safety precaution?”

 

“In this case sir I would go with the latter. Initiating audio now.”

 

Bruce grins. This is why he loves Tony’s AI.

 

“So, what’s with the surprise visit? You finally forgiven me for indulging Tall, Blond and Viking in a congratulations-hug?”

 

“No,” Loki hisses before pausing. “My...sources told me that the Avengers met today to discuss my fate and the fate of the thing inside me. They said that Agent Barton wishes to have me put in irons and left to rot in a cell. They said that you defended my honour and threatened any who would dare to harm me.”

 

“And?” Tony asks, the challenge and lack of repentance clear in his tone.

 

When Loki speaks his voice is quiet and hesitant. “I had not realised that you cared for me. I thought your deal with SHIELD to cease hunting me merely a way for you to watch over and protect your child.”

 

“You’re kidding right?” Tony asks incredulously. “I might be an insensitive asshole but I do think of you as more than a walking incubator. _Jesus_ Loki. I care about you, I really do. I might want to punch you in the face half the time but that’s only because you like doing stupid shit like trying to enslave nations or turning my Ferrari into Herbie the Love Bug. That doesn’t mean I don’t care. You’re my baby-mama and I don’t want to see you get arrested or hurt. Besides, you’re way too pretty for prison, and you don’t even know why you should never ever bend over to pick up the soap.”

 

Loki is quiet for a moment, likely mulling over Tony’s words. “When I have delivered your child will you surrender me to SHIELD or to Asgard?”

 

“Only if you give me a reason to.”

 

There is the sound of movement, of clothes rustling and leather creaking. There are wet sounds that make Bruce suspect the danger has passed and that now might be a good time to disengage the audio.

 

“Loki,” Tony murmurs. “We shouldn’t do this here – this is Bruce’s sofa.”

 

“The mindless beast will not know.”

 

“One, he is not a mindless beast, and two-” Tony gasps and then moans – long and loud and needy. “That’s not fair. You’re an underhanded prick, you know that?”

 

Loki’s laugh is soft and devious and quickly followed by another moan from Tony. Bruce closes his eyes and says, “JARVIS please turn off the audio.”

 

“Right away sir.”

 

There is silence and Bruce breathes a sigh of relief. He’s a scientist and curious by nature but he’s not _that_ curious. “JARVIS, please make a note of all the furniture that will need to be sanitised when they’re finished.”

 

“Indeed sir. Would you care for a little classical music to calm your nerves?”

 

“Yes please,” Bruce says as he makes his way over to his bookshelf and tries not to wonder if this is the first time Tony and Loki have had sex in his living room.   





	3. Fashionable And Functionable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had a number of problems with this ending and I'm still not entirely happy but I thought an update was due so here you go!

Loki has many faults. He’s psychotic, attention-seeking, short-tempered, violent, and a self-hating narcissist with a superiority complex. He is also, however, an impeccable dresser. Bruce might not know much about Asgardian fashion (or Earth fashion, if he’s honest) but all one requires is functional eyesight to recognise that Loki is the pinnacle of sophistication and style. In battle he is always decked out in leathers and metals that are both fashionable _and_ functionable. In between his bouts of destruction Bruce has seen him alternate between his long leather coat and a three-piece suit. Loki’s definition of casual is a waistcoat with the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up to above his elbows. Loki’s attire is always professional, always well-kept; if Earth ever does try him for his crimes one of the things he won’t be accused of is crimes against fashion. (During one of his rare forays into the bowels of the internet Bruce had discovered a page entitled ‘Loki looks good in everything’ which was dedicated to praising Loki’s wardrobe choices. Bruce had forwarded it to Tony hoping he might find a use for it).

 

The fact that Loki is always so well-dressed makes it all the more surprising when he wanders into the Avengers common room wearing only a pair of shorts and one of Tony’s hoodies. Bruce tries not to stare at the novel occurrence (it’s not just the clothes, it’s also the fact that Loki is being semi-sociable by actually making an appearance at breakfast instead of hiding out in Tony’s room and ordering Tony to bring him food), or at Loki’s legs. Beside him Bruce notices that Steve is also trying to concentrate on his newspaper and not on those long hairless limbs that seem to go on forever. From an aesthetical point of view, Bruce can see why Tony finds Loki attractive. Personally, though, Bruce can’t get over the fact that Loki’s head is a bag of cats.

 

Loki disappears into the kitchen attached to the common room followed by Tony, who is wearing his usual morning attire of sweatpants and tank-top. Tony is also wearing a smile so bright it alone could power half of New York City for a week. Bruce stares at the smile and is slightly unnerved because it is still technically morning and Tony is most definitely not a morning person. Before coffee Tony is like a zombie – his mind and body barely functioning. To see him so bright and alert makes Bruce wonder what it’s like having sex with Loki (not too hard though, because down that path lies madness and the need for a lifetime of therapy), because the scientist can’t theorise any other reason why Tony would be practically bouncing as he makes his way towards his first cup of coffee.

 

A few minutes later the elevator dings as Pepper Potts steps out into the common room, her arms weighed down with multicoloured files. “Is Tony here?” she asks, slightly dubious.

 

“In the kitchen Pepper! Set everything up; I’ll be out in a minute!”

 

Surprise flashes across the redhead’s face. Bruce doesn’t blame her – Tony is a master of dodging paperwork and usually locks himself in his workshop whenever he senses it approaching. It must be a pleasant change for Pepper to be able to gain access to him so easily.

 

Pepper takes a seat on the sofa adjacent to Bruce and begins to set out the first packet of papers she needs Tony to sign. She glances over at him and asks quietly, “Has something happened?”

 

Bruce’s lips quirk into a smile. “Loki,” is the only answer he offers.

 

A dark look crosses Pepper’s face. Bruce guesses she still hasn’t forgiven the Norse god for murdering Agent Coulson, or for throwing Tony out of a window. Still, when said god follows Tony out of the kitchen with a bowl of cereal in his hands, Pepper banishes the expression from her face and replaces it with one of polite professionalism. “Good Morning,” she greets cordially.

 

Loki studies her carefully, his green eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Tony, his grin still too bright for so early in the morning, puts an arm around Loki’s waist and says, “It was a mutual break up. She’s seeing Happy now and has no more desire to sleep with me than any of my other adoring fans. Also, she’s the best thing that’s happened to the company since me.”

 

Loki considers this for a moment before inclining his head respectfully. “Lady Potts,” he acknowledges before curling up on the sofa opposite Bruce with his cereal.

 

Tony beams as he drops down beside Pepper. He rubs his hands together vigorously and exclaims, “Right! Where do we start?”

 

Pepper stares at him as if he’s grown an extra head, but quickly pulls herself together and presses a pen into his hand. Over the next hour they make their way through the paperwork Tony has spent years trying to escape but for some reason is now approaching with a smile and without any need for coercion. Bruce decides to stay where he is and study this bizarre phenomenon, knowing he may never get to see it again. He also studies Loki who, after finishing breakfast, turns his attention to the interactive coffee table. His eyes move swiftly over whatever it is he is reading, only glancing up occasionally to measure Tony’s progress. He takes no notice of Bruce and Steve. Bruce feels guilty about wishing he shared Loki’s ability to so easily ignore Steve – he considers the man a friend but his slow progress in completing the crossword puzzle is incredibly frustrating.

 

Eventually Tony finishes his paperwork. He makes a show of stretching, cracking his joints and back with an exaggerated sigh of relief. “Well, I’m glad that’s over.”

 

Pepper smiles as she gathers the completed forms. “That’s definitely a new record for you. You completed everything without whining once _and_ you made no attempts to dodge your duty.”

 

Tony shrugs, still miraculously smiling. “Guess I’ve finally learned that there are some bullets you can’t dodge. Best to just do the responsible thing and bite the sucker.”

 

Pepper shakes her head, her smile full of amused disbelief. “I must say that if I’d known paternity would have this affect on you I would have poked holes in your condoms years ago. It would have made some gold-digger very happy and my life would have been a hell of a lot less stressful.”

 

Bruce suppresses the urge to snigger at the look of indignation on Tony’s face. It’s not a hard urge to suppress when he notices Loki’s expression.

 

“Are you implying that I am an opportunistic harlot Miss Potts?”

 

“Of course not,” Pepper replies, suddenly very tense and very still.

 

“Because if you were I’m afraid I would have to take offense at such a besmirching of my honour and challenge you to a duel to the death, as is custom in Asgard. One does not disrespect a prince without paying the price in blood.”

 

The colour drains from Pepper’s face but she otherwise appears unmoved. Steve slams down his newspaper and looks as if he’s about to challenge Loki to a duel himself. Bruce keeps a firm hold on his temper, knowing that introducing the Other Guy to the situation will not make things better. Tony, bizarrely, laughs.

 

“Loki, don’t joke about things like that – you know not everybody appreciates your sense of humour.”

 

The god of mischief smiles slyly as he reclines against the arm of the sofa. “Is it my fault that mortals are so gullible?” He sneers in Steve’s direction as he says, “Do you honestly think that on Asgard warriors challenge women to duels over petty insults? They would be laughed out of court for such an overreaction.” He looks away but Bruce still manages to catch him muttering under his breath, “We have them whipped for insubordination instead.”

 

Apparently Tony catches his muttering as well as he gives him a look that says, “We’ve talked about this – civilised people don’t indulge in corporal punishment. And stop being sexist.”

 

Loki rolls his eyes in response. “If you’ve finished with your administrative duties shall we retire to your chambers? I believe you promised to show me more of the virtual shrines mortals have dedicated to me.”

 

“Oh yeah, I did promise to stroke your ego didn’t I?” Tony says as he scratches at his beard. “Sure, why not, unless I’m still needed here?”

 

He directs this last question at Pepper. She shakes her head and offers him a weak smile. “I’ve got all I came for. Go enjoy the rest of your day.”

 

Tony smiles and presses a chaste kiss to her cheek. He then jumps to his feet and holds out his hand for Loki. The god stares dismissively at the offered help but accepts it nonetheless. Together they head for the elevator, Tony’s arm snaking its way around Loki’s waist as they walk.

 

When the elevator doors close and the parents-to-be are out of earshot Pepper slumps in her seat, a look of relief settling on her face. “I don’t know how you put up with him,” she mumbles, her eyes slipping shut.

 

“Do you mean Stark or Loki?” Steve gripes as he picks up his newspaper.

 

Pepper gives him a sharp look before conceding his point. “I meant Loki. I know Tony can be a pain to deal with but at least he doesn’t threaten to kill people.”

 

Bruce suppresses a smile. Clearly Pepper has never seen Tony in debriefings when he has the mother of all hangovers. “It’s generally not too bad. Loki doesn’t like people so he tends to avoid us when he’s here.”

 

“I suppose I should feel honoured that his majesty deemed it necessary to bestow on me his glorious presence,” Pepper says sarcastically.

 

Bruce chuckles softly. “It could be worse,” he consoles. “Tony could actually expect you to like the mother of his child.”

 

Pepper shudders at the thought. “I don’t intend to like or forgive Loki; but I’m willing to put up with him as long as he makes Tony happy.”

 

“I think that’s the general consensus around here,” Steve comments with a wry smile, not looking up from his paper.

 

“Good to know I’m not the only one who feels that way,” Pepper says with her own wry smile as she gathers her folders and rises to her feet. “It was nice seeing the two of you again. Good luck with Loki.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

“Thank you ma’am.”

 

Pepper gives them a real smile and exits the common room. Bruce decides to follow her lead. He has an experiment he needs to check on and if Steve doesn’t get 6 down in the next five minutes he’s pretty sure the Other Guy is going to make an unscheduled and unappreciated appearance.


	4. Ten Fingers and Toes

The downside of being both a doctor and Tony Stark’s best friend is that when it is time for Loki’s eighteen week scan it is Bruce’s assistance that the billionaire seeks. Assaulted by Tony’s heart-wrenching Bambi eyes and his sincere desire to share the experience of seeing his child for the first time with him, Bruce is unable to refuse the engineer’s request that he be the one to perform the ultrasound.

 

“Please lie down on the table, lift up your shirt, and unbutton your pants.”

 

Loki glares at Bruce as he grudgingly does as instructed. He’s dressed in jeans and what Bruce suspects is Tony’s infamous AC/DC T-shirt. The god appears as thrilled about the arrangement as Bruce, and Bruce can’t help but wonder if Tony used his shirt to bribe Loki into cooperating. It’s a skill only Tony possesses – knowing ways to coerce Loki into doing the things he doesn’t want to do without the risk of bloodshed or extensive property damage.

 

“The gel is quite cold so brace yourself.”

 

Loki opens his mouth with a likely scathing remark but is distracted by Tony taking hold of his hand. The engineer gives him one of his ‘looks’ and says, “Babe, don’t ruin the moment. Bruce is a doctor – let him do his thing.”

 

Loki rolls his eyes but swallows whatever comment he intended to make. Bruce sends Tony a grateful smile; it’s far easier to interact with Loki when he’s able to stick to the standard medical script.

 

Bruce applies the gel to Loki’s stomach and spreads it over the taut flesh without incident. He then smoothly glides the ultrasound wand over the gel-slicked area and turns his attention to a nearby screen. A familiar image appears along with the muted sound of the foetus’ heartbeat. “Everything appears to be normal,” Bruce comments casually. “The baby has ten fingers and toes and the correct number of limbs.”

 

“I will kill Fandral for starting those rumours,” Loki hisses.

 

Tony snickers. “He wasn’t wrong about your fertility though was he?”

 

“He was merely jealous that the Vikings worshipped me but did not even know his name. He hoped that by besmirching my reputation the maidens would turn their affections towards him instead.”

 

“Did it work?”

 

Loki grins wickedly. “Not in the least. That is the only reason I did not stab him in the middle of the night. If I had known that mortals would actually _record_ those falsehoods I would not have been so benevolent.”

 

Although Bruce is curious about the origins of certain Norse myths, he politely coughs and asks, “Would you like to know the sex of the baby?”

 

“Most definitely,” is Tony’s eager reply.

 

The god of chaos lacks Tony’s enthusiasm but doesn’t question his decision. Bruce spins the monitor around so that the parents-to-be have a clear view of the screen. “Congratulations, you’re having a boy.”

 

“A boy,” Loki murmurs as he considers the screen.

 

“A boy,” Tony laughs breathlessly. “Loki, we’re having a boy.”

 

The Norse god makes a non-committal grunt, his eyes still glued to the ultrasound image.

 

“Have you thought about a name?” Bruce enquires as he begins to pack up his equipment. He leaves the screen for now.

 

“It’s tradition in my family to give the child the parent’s middle name, which in this case would be Edward.”

 

“Edward Stark,” Bruce says with a nod and a smile.

 

Tony gently squeezes Loki’s hand and asks, “What about you Juno? Are you obligated to follow some special Asgardian naming rule?”

 

“No,” Loki replies distractedly, “but we do not pass on the surname in the way you do. It should be Edward Anthonyson.”

 

“I prefer Stark,” Tony muses. “Edward Stark-Lokison. It has a nice ring to it. We could give him an Asgardian middle name if you like, just so long as it isn’t too difficult to spell or pronounce. Something like Loki – short and easily rolls off the tongue.” Instead of replying Loki is bathed in the golden light of a teleportation spell. Bruce and Tony both stare at the spot he was previously occupying before the engineer turns to Bruce and asks, “Was it something I said?”

 

Bruce turns his attention to the monitor still registering the ultrasound image. “How is Loki coping with the idea of becoming a parent?”

 

“Better. At least, I thought he was,” Tony says as he also gazes contemplatively at the image. “He doesn’t really talk about it. You think he’s still in denial about the whole thing?”

 

“I think maybe there’s a discrepancy between accepting he’s pregnant and accepting that there’s a living thing inside him that he has to one day name and care for.”

 

Tony hums thoughtfully, his fingers absently drumming against the now empty exam bed. “If you’re right he’ll probably disappear off the radar for a bit. Chew over the whole thing. Show up in the middle of the night wanting reassurances. Hopefully he’ll remember that he’s not allowed to blow up anything that Fury hasn’t already signed off on.”

 

“I hadn’t realised Loki had been given destruction privileges.”

 

Tony’s smile is fierce and not the least bit friendly. “Fury’s not an idiot. He purposefully worked a clause into the contract I drew up with him that said if Loki ever felt like letting off a little steam all he had to do was go to Fury and the good director would point him in the direction of a warehouse full of SHIELD’s enemies. I know he did it to better sell the whole thing to the Security Council (you can bet those morons got wet at the thought of having Loki as a weapon at their disposal) but that doesn’t mean I like or approve of it being part of the deal. For one thing it might give Loki ideas. For another-”

 

“You don’t want Loki to go from supervillain to SHIELD’s weapon/lapdog,” Bruce finishes evenly.

 

“Exactly,” Tony states with the air of a man pleased to find another person who understands.

 

Bruce nods. “I had the same concerns in the beginning – about SHIELD and the Other Guy. I still sometimes wonder if Fury justifies my presence on the team with the old motto ‘better with us than against us’ to his superiors and certain agents in SHIELD.”

 

“This is why I think you and Loki could be great friends,” Tony says, aiming his index finger at Bruce. “I can totally see you bonding over having a ‘monstrous’ side and being misunderstood geniuses. The only problem is that Loki’s head is stuck so far up his ass that he fails to realise that he’s missing out on an amazing opportunity to bond with one of the few people I whole-heartedly respect and admire.”

 

Bruce ducks his head and tries not to blush. It’s a hard thing to earn a compliment from Tony Stark (unless you have breasts or long legs and even then Bruce’s pretty sure Tony only handed those out to the girls who didn’t go weak at the knees at the sight of his chequebook) and even harder to gain his respect. To gain both is a privilege Bruce isn’t entirely sure that he deserves. He’s learnt not to let that thought slip to Tony though as the man is always quick to extol Bruce’s virtues and to leave him feeling more embarrassed. Besides, Tony has enough on his plate dealing with Loki’s low self-esteem issues without having to put up with Bruce’s problems.

 

The scientist coughs and tries to discretely steer the conversation in a different direction. “I take it those are also things the two of you bonded over? What do you think prompted him to take a liking to you but not to anybody else?”

 

“We have good chemistry,” Tony says, shrugging. “During that first invasion the quips just flowed naturally. And he was very impressed with my work - said lots of things about my tech going above and beyond what Asgard thought us mere mortals capable of producing – not to mention he liked my flair for the dramatic. He told me that night he showed up unannounced in Malibu that if we put our minds together then the sex would be out of this world. I didn’t believe him at first, thought he was just trying to play me, but eventually my curiosity got the better of me and, well, he was right. My mind was blown. I had no regrets when he snuck out that morning other than that it would be a one-time thing. Then we kicked his ass a month later and afterwards he showed up and we had the best hate-sex in the history of forever. In the end it turned into a semi-regular thing that had us spending weekends in bed talking about physics and some of the awful TV he’d started watching. Then he got pregnant and we had to start talking about _feelings_ and now I’m solely responsible for rehabilitating what was supposed to be a no-strings-attached lay.” Tony pauses, apparently considering what he has just said. “To answer your question: he wanted a physical relationship and my reputation in that area is much worse than yours or any other genius’ on earth.”

 

“So if I want to bond with Loki you’re suggesting I should try to sleep with him?” Bruce asks, trying and failing to suppress his mirth.

 

“Thankfully that tactic only works for me,” Tony says in all seriousness. “If other people want to bond with him they need to prove that they’re not dull, disposable mortals. _You_ need to prove that you’re not a mindless beast; a stance which I find rather hypocritical, but then it’s Loki and hypocrisy seems to be one of those nasty character flaws he picked up on Asgard along with a sense of entitlement and superiority. I’m currently working on a cure but for now I’m afraid I’ll have to settle for making sure he takes his vitamins and gets plenty of exercise – preferably in the bedroom.”  

 

Bruce chuckles. “Did you try to cure Pepper of any of her character flaws when you were dating?”

 

“What are you talking about?” Tony gasps, sounding horrified. “Pepper is a perfect human being and has no flaws. And if she did I don’t think my family jewels would have survived me trying to correct them.”

 

Bruce covers his snort of amusement by turning to his computer. He presses ‘print’ and moves over to collect the black-and-white printout of the ultrasound. He hands it to Tony and says, “The first of many. I’ll save it to the shared server so that JARVIS can print off any more copies if you need them.”

 

“Thanks Bruce,” Tony says as he takes the printout and smiles his beatific proud-father smile. 

 

Bruce is unable to stop his own smile in the face of Tony’s joy. “Don’t mention it.” His smile turns slightly more rueful when he adds, “Good luck with Loki.”

 

“Thanks,” Tony says as he rolls his eyes. He stands up, still carefully holding the printout, and heads for the exit. “See you at dinner!” he calls over his shoulder.

 

Instead of replying Bruce returns to the computer and saves the ultrasound data. He then follows Tony out of the medical bay in the hopes of finding Steve. He feels he should share the joyous news with the captain that the next few days have been predicted to be Loki-free. Bruce sincerely hopes he wasn’t a weatherman in any of his past lives.


	5. Weeping Gods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Copyright note: If I owned Disney I'd be rolling in the money. As it is I own nothing and it really wouldn't be worth your time sueing me so please don't. Pretty please?

“What was that you said a month ago about having no intention of liking or forgiving Loki?” Bruce asks with a wry smile.

 

“Shut up,” Pepper grumbles. “I haven’t forgiven him for what he did to Phil. I’ve just...adjusted my view of how much he deserves to suffer for his crimes.”

 

“I see,” Bruce replies, hiding his smile behind a cup of herbal tea.

 

Pepper glowers at him. “I expected these sorts of comments from Tony, not you, and he’s been oddly silent on the matter. Are you sure there aren’t any body-swapping lab accidents you’d like to report Doctor Banner?”

 

“According to JARVIS the lab has been accident free for forty-two days now.”

 

“Dr Banner is correct,” JARVIS chimes helpfully. “There is also a high probability that the record of forty-nine days without incident will soon be broken, so long as Mr Stark does not deem it necessary to bring any unknown compounds excreted by super-powered criminals into the laboratory. Again.”

 

Pepper huffs a breath of laughter and a fond smile tugs at her lips. The smile disappears when she returns to the topic at hand.

 

“Seriously though Bruce, can you really blame me for feeling a little sorry for him? By the end of the performance he was full-on _sobbing_ into my shoulder (ruining my $800 dress by the way) and asking me if true love would stop him from being a monster. I mean, I sometimes get a little emotional at _Beauty and the Beast_ but I never have a semi-meltdown over it! It was like the musical had struck deep psychological issue gold!”

 

“Didn’t Tony warn you that might happen?”

 

“No.” Pepper’s eyes suddenly narrow suspiciously. “Why? Did he have a reason to suspect that it would?”

 

“I’m pretty sure Loki had watched every Disney Classic by the time you took him to the theatre. _Beauty and the Beast_ was definitely one of the ones that made him cry.”

 

“I’m going to kill him,” Pepper mutters with a soft, slow-burning ire. 

 

Bruce feels slightly guilty for telling on Tony, but he also feels it is only fair after Tony purposefully engineered it so that Bruce would be in the room when Loki watched _Beauty and the Beast_ for the first time. Witnessing Loki cry had been truly disturbing and Bruce sincerely hopes never again to repeat the experience. He doesn’t think he’s that lucky though – not when Tony seems to be using Disney movies to force Loki to bond with his friends.

 

It had all started roughly a month ago when Loki was banned from pulling pranks until he learnt the difference between harmless fun and the endangerment of the lives of civilians. Loki had enchanted the statues in Central Park to come to life and molest unsuspecting tourists. The sudden exodus from the park the prank initiated had caused one man to be trampled by a panicked horse and another to suffer cardiac arrest. Fury had not been pleased by the media coverage of the event, or the political shit-storm which followed. He’d told Loki in no uncertain terms (with plenty of f-bombs thrown in for good measure) that the next time he pulled a practical joke SHIELD would lock him up and throw away the key. Tony had quickly interceded before Loki could defenestrate Fury through the nearest window, and had somehow managed to placate the enraged god. Said god had then proceeded to sulk and whine that as the god of mischief it was in his nature to play tricks and banning him from doing so was like removing one of his limbs. Nobody had taken this complaint seriously and luckily this had only caused Loki to sulk further rather than to descend into a violent rage.

 

Once Loki was banned from playing practical jokes Tony had endeavoured to find him a new, less villainous hobby before the god got bored and decided that staying on Fury’s good side wasn’t worth the price he was paying. The engineer had begun his quest by introducing Loki to Disney movies, as Tony reasoned that Disney was pretty much as far from villainy as you could get. So, one afternoon, the two of them had settled on Tony’s sofa and watched _The Little Mermaid_. Apparently Loki had enjoyed it and demanded more. Tony had obliged by showing him _Lilo and Stich_ and Loki had burst into tears. Bruce imagines Tony was utterly freaked out at having a blubbering god of chaos use his shirt as a tissue. However, Tony was nothing if not adaptable and had put his new knowledge to use. He had cultured Loki’s Disney addiction and then utilised it as a tool to engender sympathy for the god. Bruce had been the guinea pig; Steve had been the repeat (he’d been subjected to _Hercules_ ). Tony had then kicked it up a notch by inviting Thor over to watch _The Lion King_. The big guy had been overjoyed when Loki (grudgingly) allowed him to join them during their movie night (so long as Thor didn’t speak to him during or after the film and that he sat on the opposite side of the room to Loki). Bruce is sure Agent Hill thought she’d stepped into a parallel universe when she walked into the Avengers common room to find two Norse gods crying and being ordered to, “Hug it out.” Loki had refused because he was too busy ruining another one of Tony’s shirts, but he hadn’t objected when Tony organised a play date for him and Thor the next day – which was progress in the brothers’ relationship by everyone’s standards.  

 

Then there was Pepper. Tony had mentioned in passing that some of the Disney films had been adapted for the stage and Loki had instantly demanded that Tony take him to see a Broadway show. Tony had somehow convinced Loki that it would be a better idea to see the show with Pepper instead of him. He’d then gone to Pepper and reminded her that she loved musicals, and after much begging, bribing and compromises Pepper had agreed to take the little psychopath to _one_ musical. She had then suffered from what Bruce can only describe as infectious madness (due to overexposure to Tony) and offered to escort Loki to another musical. Apparently the Norse god had enjoyed his time at the theatre (despite his breakdown) and had accepted Pepper’s invitation. Tony had been delighted by that piece of news and had immediately bought them tickets for _Phantom of the Opera_ that very evening. That was why Pepper was currently sat in the Avengers common room waiting for Loki to finish getting ready. After reading about the musical on Wikipedia Bruce seriously hopes that Pepper isn’t wearing one of her more expensive dresses.

 

The doors to the elevator slide open and Tony and Loki step out into the common room. Pepper glares at Tony, knocking the cheery greeting from his lips. With an effort of will she forces down her rage and offers him a short smile (along with a look that says _there is something I very much intend to shout at you for at a more convenient moment_ ). Bruce is very impressed by the look and by the way it causes Tony to almost flinch. He’s less impressed by the look of utter betrayal Tony sends him before the engineer focuses on Loki. The tension instantly drains away as Tony smiles at the future mother (father) of his child. He leans in to press a kiss to the god’s cheek and says, “Have a good time at the theatre Stitch.”

 

Loki frowns. “I’m still uncertain whether or not I should be offended by that endearment.”

 

“Why should you be offended? I’m calling you a cute and fluffy blue badass – that’s definitely a compliment!”

 

Loki continues to glower and Bruce wonders what the trickster would do if he ever discovered the meaning behind the cornucopia of endearments Tony has previously used on him. The scientist quickly decides he’d rather not find out as Loki seems very much like the sort of person who would shoot the messenger rather than wait to direct his wrath at a more appropriate target.  

 

Clearly deciding that Tony isn’t worth smiting, Loki turns towards Pepper and announces, “I am ready when you are Miss Potts.”

 

Just as Pepper moves to stand JARVIS informs them that, “Agent Romanoff has arrived and wishes to speak with you Sir.”

 

Tony frowns. “Send her up JARVIS.”

 

“Already on her way Sir.”

 

Bruce and Tony share a look. Ever since they were informed of Loki’s pregnancy, and the trickster took to openly semi-permanently residing in the Tower, Natasha and Clint have been studiously avoiding the Avengers’ official place of residence. Over the last few weeks Bruce has only encountered the agents when he has been working in the SHIELD labs, and during those brief meetings neither assassin has given any indication that they intend to return to the Tower any time soon. This leaves Bruce (Tony too, judging by his expression) to conclude that the Black Widow’s unexpected visit can only mean bad news.

 

Moments later the female assassin and spy steps out of the elevator. Her eyes calmly drift over those assembled before zeroing in on Tony. She stalks purposefully towards him and stops a few feet shy of where he stands beside a sneering Loki. The Black Widow ignores the trickster and speaks only to Tony in her official SHIELD voice. “Director Fury sent me to remind you Stark that your boyfriend isn’t allowed out amongst civilians without the supervision of an Avenger.”

 

“Have you been spying on us Agent Romanoff?” Tony rolls his eyes. “What am I talking about? You’re a spy, of course you have.”

 

Natasha appears unimpressed by the comment. “You might not think him a danger Stark but you’re not the one who will come under fire if anything happens. A negligence lawsuit is a drop in the ocean to you but at SHIELD it can be a career ender. We’re not going to allow you to recklessly endanger civilians by letting a war criminal wander around Broadway unsupervised.”

 

“Fine,” Tony snaps. “If you’re so worried dry ice and a few flashing lights will spark a killing spree then you can babysit him tonight!”

 

“I am not a child,” Loki growls.

 

Tony waves his hand in Loki’s direction and says, “Hush Baby – grown ups are talking.”

 

Loki glares daggers and hisses, “I hope you are fond of your couch for that is where you will be sleeping for the next week.”

 

“Don’t be like that Juno – you know I don’t mean it,” Tony attempts to appease by wrapping an arm around Loki’s waist.

 

Loki shrugs him off and turns his attention to Pepper. “This conversation bores me. Miss Potts, shall we depart?”

 

Pepper rises gracefully to her feet, her eyes assessing the three people standing before her. “I would like Agent Romanoff to come with us as my guest. I have some personal problems I need another woman’s opinion on and I have so little free time that it would be highly convenient to me if we could discuss them tonight. If that’s alright with you, of course. We have a private box at the theatre so there should be no problems with tickets or seating, and I’d hate for you to break your contract with Director Fury because I insisted that the two of us went alone as we originally planned.”   

 

“How...diplomatic of you,” Loki murmurs as he carefully regards Pepper. Eventually he sighs as if greatly put upon. “Very well, I will allow you to bring your guest. However, if she begins to irk me I want her sent away immediately.”

 

“Deal,” Pepper says before sending a meaningful look at Natasha. The Black Widow appears unmoved but Bruce guesses she will go along with it for the sake of the mission. Tony sends Pepper a thankful smile which she returns with a _you owe me_ look.

 

A few minutes later the elevator doors close on the two women and Loki. Bruce considers Tony’s expression for a moment before saying, “You planned this didn’t you?”

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tony replies innocently.

 

“Are you saying that if I ask JARVIS to search for an anonymous tip sent to SHIELD informing them Loki would be attending the theatre unsupervised this evening he’ll come up empty-handed?”  

 

“I ain’t sayin’ nothin’ and yous can’t make me,” Tony says, putting on a ridiculous accent that he possibly intends to be New York gangster.

 

Bruce sighs to cover a laugh. “Are you sure making Loki cry will endear him to the infamous Black Widow?”

 

“It’s been a successful tactic so far hasn’t it?”

 

Bruce can’t argue with that. “So what’s the next step in your grand scheme to cultivate Loki’s new non-lethal hobby?”

 

“JARVIS has analysed all the Pixar films and ranked them in order of how likely they are to make Loki lose his shit. When I find a shirt that I don’t mind Loki using as a massive Kleenex do you want to join us for _Toy Story 3_?”

 

“I’ll pass thanks. After catching the two of you singing a duet in the lab yesterday I think I’ve had enough Disney for awhile.”

 

“That never happened,” Tony denies, pointing a threatening finger at Bruce. “That is a horrid rumour and I hope you won’t go spreading it around. I will not have my street cred ruined over a rumour. If that happens there _will_ be consequences.”

 

Bruce suppresses a smirk as he heads for the elevator. “Don’t worry Tony; your secret is safe with me.”

 

“I know where you live Banner!”

 

Bruce laughs as the elevator doors clang shut.

***

The next day Natasha officially moves back into the Avengers Tower and sends Tony a bill for her ruined jacket. Apparently even cold-hearted assassins can be moved by the uncontrollable weeping of Norse deities.  


	6. The Tale of the Pot and the Kettle

“I am corpulent.”

 

Bruce freezes in the doorway of the kitchen. His gaze flickers from Loki to Tony, who is attempting to make what looks like an omelette. Tony rolls his eyes and replies, “You’re not fat.”

 

Loki scowls at him as his hand caresses his belly. “I can feel the swelling. I am corpulent.”

 

“Seriously? I’d never have pegged you as one of those chicks who freaks out because they think having a baby will ruin their figure.” The look Loki gives him prompts Tony to add, “Loki, trust me, you’re still as gorgeous as ever. A little swelling is perfectly natural. You’re not fat. In fact, I think you’re still too skinny. You should eat more regularly. You need more fruit and veg in your diet. And you should probably sleep more – JARVIS says it’s bad for the baby if you don’t.” Tony pauses at the incredulous look on Loki’s face. “What?”

 

“On Asgard we have a saying: ‘the pot calling the kettle black’.”

 

“Oh, we have that one too; but I fail to see your point.” Loki glowers until Tony huffs and mumbles, “Alright, maybe that was a little hypocritical, but my point still stands! You’re eating for two now so you should start caring less about your weight and more about making sure little Tony junior doesn’t die of starvation.”

 

“If you name our child Tony junior I swear I will eviscerate you. Also, your meal is burning.”

 

Tony begins to swear and demand to know why nobody told him about this sooner. Sensing that the danger has passed Bruce enters the kitchen. Loki gives him a dirty look, which confuses Bruce as he doesn’t think he’s done anything recently to earn Loki’s ire. Then again it doesn’t take much to get into the god of mischief’s bad books.

 

Shrugging it off, Bruce begins to prepare his own lunch, smiling silently to himself as Tony attempts omelette number two.

***

When Bruce wakes after his next Hulk transformation it is to see Clint slumped casually beside him. The archer averts his eyes as Bruce dresses and only returns his attention to him when Bruce asks, “What happened?”

 

Clint gives him a snide smile as he replies, “The Other Guy had an altercation with Loki.”

 

“What?! What happened?” Bruce asks anxiously.

 

“Iron Man was having a bit of trouble so the Other Guy swooped in to lend him a hand. Apparently Loki was watching and thought the Other Guy was being a little _too_ helpful; thought the Other Guy was moving in on his man. He tried to get the Other Guy to back off and the Other Guy ended up smashing in Loki’s pretty face.”

 

Clint seems almost gleeful at the memory. Bruce, however, is more concerned about what else he’d done. “Is the baby okay?”

 

“Yes. Stark said to tell you to tell the Other Guy that he’s sorry his boyfriend is so possessive and that he’s thankful the Other Guy avoided hitting his abdomen; however he would have preferred it if he’d left the face.” 

 

Bruce releases a sigh of relief. Then he laughs and says, “I’m glad to see Tony has his priorities straight.”

 

“Not that straight,” Clint replies darkly.

 

Bruce tries not to sigh. “What do you want him to do Clint? Kill his child? Try to arrest Loki? Because if Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned I’d hate to see what similes would be used to describe Loki’s reaction to that.”

 

“He shouldn’t have allowed himself to get into this position,” Clint says bitterly. “He let himself be compromised. When he slept with Loki not only did he jeopardise his own safety but the safety of this team as well. He betrayed us, Banner, and the only reason Fury hasn’t thrown his ass in jail is because he’s managed to convince Loki to play nice while SHIELD finds a way to shut him down permanently. As soon as that happens, pregnant or not, I’m going to make sure he pays for his crimes.”

 

“Are you sure you’re not just out for revenge?”

 

“You sound like Natasha.”

 

“Speaking of Natasha: why didn’t you kill her? You were sent to assassinate her, weren’t you, so why didn’t you pull the trigger? Is it because you let yourself get compromised?”

 

Clint jumps to his feet, fists clenched at his sides, and turns to leave.

 

Bruce calls calmly after him, “If the Black Widow deserved a second chance why not Loki? Before you condemn Tony as a traitor maybe you should consider that he made the same call you did?”

 

Clint doesn’t reply and Bruce doesn’t expect him to.

***

Tony visits Bruce’s floor the next day with news that Clint has graced him with a semi-apology. Apparently Clint had let his dislike of Loki cloud his judgement, and if Tony thought the god deserved a second chance he was willing to trust him. That didn’t mean Clint had to like Loki, but he wasn’t going to let the team fall apart because of him. The phrase ‘Bros before Hoes’ had been used.

 

“Barton also gave the impression that I have you to thank for his little 180. You had a good talk with Robin Hood after you de-Hulked?”

 

“I may have reminded him that those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.”

 

“Well thanks. It’s nice having one less person mad at me.”

 

“Loki?” Bruce guesses.

 

“Yep. He’s going through a vanity phase. Thinks as soon as he starts losing his looks I’m going to start chasing a new piece of ass. I’m still baffled as to how this relates to him picking a fight with the giant green rage monster because, no offense, Hulk doesn’t exactly score all that high in the looks department.”

 

Bruce remembers the dirty looks Loki has been giving him and wonders how Tony has not made that connection. Then again, Tony has never treated him and the Hulk as the same person (he acts as if they’re two people time-sharing one body) and probably expects everyone else to do the same – of course he wouldn’t make the connection.

 

“Maybe it’s me he has the problem with. We have been spending a lot of time together in the lab working on Fury’s surprise birthday present.”

 

Tony frowns thoughtfully. “You might be right. I don’t think they have bromances on Asgard. I should ask about that. I’ll check with Thor and then have a talk with Loki. Hopefully having all those bandages wrapped around his face will throw off his aim enough that I’ll be able to get to him for said talk without being skewered.”

 

Bruce winces. “I’m sorry about that.”

 

“To be honest he sort of deserved it.”

 

Bruce raises a sceptical eyebrow and forces himself not to smile.

 

“Well he did,” Tony says defensively. “He let his jealousy get the better of him and put himself and the baby in danger. He needs to learn to think about the consequences of his actions and not be so reckless. He needs to realise the world doesn’t revolve around him and stop being such an asshole.”

 

Bruce is unable to contain his laughter at that point. When Tony looks at him questioningly he says, “Loki’s right: you are the pot calling the kettle black.”

 

“I’ll have you know I’ve been very safety conscious since I found out I was destined to be a parent. Pepper’s given me exactly eight compliments in regards to how responsible I’ve become and how she hopes it’s not just a phase I’m going through.”

 

“Tony, I’ve watched the footage of yesterday’s fight,” Bruce replies patiently. “The only reason the Other Guy had to rush to help you was because you dived into that squadron of robots without stopping to consider that there might be a few too many of them for you to handle on your own. You should have hung back and waited until Clint or somebody else was in a position to cover you. Instead you chose to ignore that voice in your head that informs you you’re about to do something reckless and suicidal because you wanted to show off. As soon as you put on the Iron Man suit you forget that in five months or so you’re going to be a dad, and that you made a solemn vow when you first heard the news to act responsibly from that moment on. I’m not implying that you should give up being Iron Man, or that what Loki did wasn’t wrong, I’m just saying that Clint isn’t the only one who lives in a glass house. I’m sure Loki will be less likely to throw things at you if you sound a little more sympathetic and a little less judgemental the next time you see him.”

 

Tony pouts. “The only reason I’m not stripping you of your title of best friend, and all the privileges that go with it, is that there might be a teeny, tiny, absolutely miniscule chance that you might have a point. Also I’m currently in shock over you telling me to be more sympathetic to Loki.”

 

Bruce smirks. “I just don’t want you to be skewered. You seem like the type of person who makes a terrible patient, and I know I’d be the one stuck treating you after you’ve insulted all the other doctors with enough clearance to get close to you.”

 

“You know me too well Doctor.”

 

Bruce chuckles softly. “Go reassure Loki that there’s nothing going on between us. I’d really hate for there to be a repeat performance of yesterday.” A horrible thought makes him add, “Or for Loki to decide that he needs to make you jealous by sleeping with one of us.”

 

Tony’s posture immediately becomes rigid. “That is not about to fucking happen.” Bruce tries not to smirk. Tony glares at Bruce. “Don’t say a word,” he threatens as he heads for the elevator.

 

Bruce is able to comply with the command until the elevator doors have closed. Then he can’t help but whisper, “Pot-kettle.”


	7. Medical Non-Emergencies

“Dr Banner, Mr Liesmith requests your presence in the medical bay.”

 

Bruce stops deleting junk email from his inbox and frowns at the screen of his Starkpad. “JARVIS, is this another one of Tony’s attempts to trick Loki into bonding with me?”

 

“I do not think so sir. Mr Liesmith initiated the request and he has not had contact with Mr Stark since Sir’s business negotiations with Japan began early this morning.” JARVIS pauses before adding, “I think it also pertinent to mention that Mr Liesmith has ordered me not to report his request to Mr Stark and to disable all monitoring equipment within the examination room.” Another brief pause. “Would you like me to inform Mr Liesmith that you are currently unavailable?”

 

Bruce stares thoughtfully at his Starkpad for a moment before switching it to sleep mode. “It’s alright JARVIS; tell him I’m on my way.”

 

“Very well sir,” is the somewhat dubious reply.

 

“Don’t worry about me JARVIS, I can handle myself,” Bruce says with a slightly self-depreciating smile.

 

“I do not doubt that sir; I am simply suspicious of such secrecy.”

 

“You’re not the only one,” Bruce mumbles as he takes the elevator down to the medical bay.

 

Ever since Loki’s altercation with the Hulk the god of mischief has been studiously avoiding Bruce and his alter-ego. Not that they had spent much time together before the incident; Loki had seen little in Bruce that interested him, and consequently had not sought his company unless pressured into doing so by Tony. This is the reason for JARVIS and Bruce’s collective suspicion in regards to Loki’s request: what reason does the god of chaos have for wanting to meet with the physicist? Furthermore, why does he wish to keep their meeting from Tony? As far as Bruce is aware Loki doesn’t keep secrets from Tony; god of lies the trickster may be, but from what Bruce has observed of the lovebirds Loki finds it far easier to gain Tony’s cooperation with truths rather than lies. Loki doesn’t sugar-coat his words or attempt to conceal his feelings (of the displeased or superior variety, at least), and has never pretended that this is anything but a vacation from villainy. Tony seems to appreciate this – the billionaire is use to people bullshitting him and pretending to be his friend in order to manipulate him; it must be a welcome change to have someone be honest with him. That’s not to say that Loki doesn’t try to manipulate Tony, but so far the manipulation has been so transparent that only a fool would miss it, and Tony has yet to take offense at the blatant emotional-blackmail.

 

When Bruce stops to think about it, Tony and Loki’s relationship is remarkably honest; neither of them tries to hide their flaws or the fact that they come with baggage that _should be ignored unless specifically addressed by the person holding the bag_. Which, returning to the matter at hand, is why Loki asking to see _him,_ _without_ Tony, is both suspicious and bizarre. Still, Bruce is nothing if not a scientist, and scientists are by nature curious souls. He intends to unravel this mystery of the bemusing summons, hopefully with a minimal amount of property damage.

 

When Bruce enters the medical bay he finds Loki perched on the edge of one of the examination tables. The trickster watches him warily as he approaches, his posture tense and worried. “Dr Banner,” Loki greets him softly.

 

“Loki,” is Bruce’s equally quiet acknowledgement. “JARVIS said you wanted to see me?”

 

“Yes, I-” A mixture of embarrassment, resentment, fear, and a number of other emotions flitter briefly across the god’s face. Loki bites down fiercely on his lip and looks away, clearly struggling to get the words out. His gaze darts back towards Bruce – his eyes full of mistrust and accusation. “Are you as the doctors on the television are? Are you bound by oath to keep the confidence of your patients?”

 

Bruce blinks, not expecting that particular question. “Anything medically related that we discuss in this room is confidential. Unless you say otherwise I won’t tell anyone what happens here.” 

 

Loki nods, some of the anxiety leaving his expression. “I do not want anyone to know of this meeting, especially not Tony. I do not want...” Loki shakes his head, steel entering his gaze as he glares at Bruce. “You will examine me. You will diagnose what ails me and you will cure it, and you will spread no word of what you find.”

 

Bruce is torn between rolling his eyes at the difficulty Loki is having asking for his help and freaking out because _Loki is asking for his help_. Clearly someone needs to inform the papers that Hell has frozen over.

 

Taking a deep breath, Bruce indicates that Loki should lie down on the examination table and asks, “What seems to be the problem?”

 

Still glaring, Loki follows the silent order. He then exposes his belly and says with a clearly forced calm, “I have been experiencing pain here over the past few days. It is sharp and intermittent, lasting no more than a few seconds. I need to know whether Stark’s spawn is in danger.”

 

Bruce raises an eyebrow at the wording of Loki’s request as he rolls up his sleeves and washes his hands. Gently, he applies varying degrees of pressure across Loki’s belly. He cannot feel any abnormalities and is just about to reach for the ultrasound when he feels the baby kick.

 

“There,” Loki says immediately. “Did you feel it?”

 

A smile breaks out across Bruce’s face without his permission. He sets up the ultrasound, well aware that Loki will need more than Bruce’s word that he has overreacted to a little discomfort. “That’s the baby kicking,” Bruce says calmly. He brings the image of the child up on the screen and turns it so that Loki can see it too. The black and grey shape jerks its leg and Loki reaches for the place the tiny foot collides with his body. Bruce’s smile turns gentle as he adds, “It might feel a bit odd but this is a normal stage of foetal development. I can run more tests if you like, but I assure you that both you and the baby are fine.”

 

Loki stares hard at the screen, his hand twitching with every kick. “You are certain this is normal?”

 

“Yes,” Bruce reassures. “But, like I said, if you’re desperate to spend more time with me I can always give you a full-body check up.”

 

Loki’s lip twists with distaste. “That is not necessary Doctor.”

 

The god slowly begins to redress. Bruce successfully hides his smirk as he saves the scans he has taken before putting his equipment away. Casually, so as not to incite Loki’s wrath, he comments, “Tony will be delighted to hear the news, if sitcoms are anything to go by. Fathers seem to like it when their boys start kicking – they think it indicates they’ll grow up big and strong.”

 

The god of lies pauses, his expression pensive. “You think he would like that? You think he would wish his son to be like Thor?”

 

Bruce also takes a moment to reflect on his words. “I meant the baby is going to be healthy. I personally think Tony would be a little disappointed if his kid was like Thor. He’d still love him, of course, but I think secretly Tony has his heart set on keeping genius in the family. He wants a chess champion with a head for numbers, who thinks father-son time equates to tinkering with tech in Tony’s workshop for hours on end. As a general rule Tony prefers brains over brawn, but I know he’ll still be happy if his son is more interested in sports than science. He’s going to love your child whatever his talents or preferences ultimately turn out to be.”

 

Loki’s gaze is distant as he caresses his belly in what Bruce takes is an unconscious gesture. The scientist guesses the god is weighing the truth and accuracy of his words, and from the lack of a violent reaction Bruce deduces that Loki agrees with his conclusions.

 

Eventually the trickster returns to the present and focuses his gaze on Bruce. “Thank you for your help Dr Banner. I will be sure to call on you again if I require further assistance with my pregnancy.”

 

“You’re welcome,” Bruce replies with his most professional smile.

 

The god holds his eyes for a second before exiting the medical bay. Bruce continues to grin as he finishes packing away his equipment. He’s definitely counting this encounter as progress in his and Loki’s rather turbulent relationship.


	8. Sacred Sundays

As the Avengers assemble in Manhattan, Bruce tries very hard not to lose his temper and Hulk-out at the sheer nerve of the villain who has pulled him out of bed on a Sunday morning. Beside him Bruce notices that he is not the only one displeased at being called out on his day off. Clint is murmuring promises of a painful death under his breath whilst Thor and Natasha flex their grip around their weapons. Steve is the only one who doesn’t seem to be eager to bash in the nameless villain-of-the-day’s skull. Tony has yet to arrive, which is unsurprising. It’s hard to drag the billionaire out of bed on the best of days, and with it being Sunday the difficulty rating has increased dramatically. Bruce is sure that Tony will be along as soon as he’s drunk his coffee and recovered enough mental function to remember how to operate the Iron Man suit; for now they were just going to have to manage without him.  

 

Steve is just about to call the day’s play when there is a flash of light not far from where the villain is standing. Natasha curses in Russian when the light dissipates enough to reveal Loki in his armour. From the sudden tension within the group Bruce assumes that the others share his fear: Loki has grown tired of sitting on the sidelines and returned to villainy. Clint knocks an arrow into his bow, Steve raises his shield, and Thor readies a speech that will explain Loki’s behaviour. None of them are able to do more than this as, instead of attacking them, Loki begins to rant at the villain. The five heroes stare in bemusement as the villain sneers and gives some reply that only seems to further rile Loki.

 

“Am I missing something here?” Steve asks the group at large.     

 

“I think we all are,” replies Natasha.

 

With the perfect timing of a true showman, Iron Man lands beside Thor and takes in the situation at hand. “Fuck. I thought I told him to go back to sleep and let me handle this.”

 

“You know what my brother is doing here?”

 

“Yeah,” Tony sighs. “Apparently all the villains had a meeting and agreed that they wouldn’t do anything that would call us out on a Sunday. Loki’s pissed because this joker is clearly shitting all over the treaty he personally drew up.” 

 

“He personally drew up?” Natasha queries with a raised eyebrow.

 

“We take our Sunday mornings very seriously, Loki and I. You really don’t want to know anymore than that.”

 

“Okay,” says Steve quickly. “So if the villains have this agreement, why has this guy decided to break it?”

 

“According to the bug I planted on Loki, this guy seems to think the whole thing is null and void now that Loki is no longer a villain. Apparently this is revenge for Loki siding with us.”

 

“He hasn’t sided with us,” objects Clint. “He’s neutral.”

 

“Mr Fashion-statement sees those two things as equivalent. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go convince a pregnant god that beating up villains in his condition is not good for the baby.”

 

“Good luck Stark!” Thor calls as the billionaire blasts off towards the increasingly vicious argument between Loki and the spandex-wearing villain.

 

The rest of the Avengers stay silent as they wait for more information to arrive via Iron Man’s com. Natasha shares with Bruce, seeing as the scientist was not issued a new one after Hulk smashed the last three they had attempted to outfit him with. It’s times like this that Bruce really wishes the Other Guy had a better respect for personal property.

 

Tony lands between Loki and the villain, causing their attention to switch to him and away from each other. The billionaire then pushes up his visor and presents his back to the villain, but leaves the com link open. “What are you doing Juno? I told you to let me handle this.”

 

“This is not your battle Tony,” Loki snarls. “It is my honour he has insulted, and I alone will show him the extent of his mistake.”

 

“You’re in no condition to fight,” Tony objects, sounding reasonable but clearly annoyed. “The reason it took you so long to zap yourself here was because you couldn’t fit into your shiny outfit and had to make adjustments. That should be enough to tell you that you’re not in a fit state to be fighting. Is it really worth risking our baby’s health for the sake of your stupid pride?”

 

“You would wish for your child to think me a coward?” Loki hisses furiously.

 

“Doing the smart thing isn’t cowardly.”

 

Clearly unhappy with Tony’s answer, Loki responds, “I will not back away from such a blatant challenge to my authority, and if you persist in interfering I will break both your legs.” Even at this distance, Bruce can sense that Loki fully intends to follow through with his threat.

 

Tony must sense it too, because he sighs and holds his hands out in what Bruce guesses is a placating gesture. “How about a compromise? If you can get your vengeance whilst sitting down then I’ll stand back and enjoy the show.”

 

There is silence for a moment as Loki considers the offer. “Very well, I agree to your terms.”

 

With that Loki transforms a nearby piece of rubble into an armchair and takes a seat. The villain cackles and says that Loki’s hubris will be his undoing, as he cannot be so easily defeated. Loki makes a number of elaborate gestures with his arms and mumbles something that is inaudible over Iron Man’s com. The rubble beside the villain suddenly comes together to make something that vaguely resembles a giant monstrous centipede. The villain screams as the creature descends on him and swallows him in one giant gulp. The centipede thrashes for a moment before going still. Loki makes another sweeping gesture with his arm and the centipede returns to its original rubble form. 

 

For a long time the Avengers are shocked into silence. Naturally, Tony is the one to ruin the moment. “I have never been so aroused by a guy getting eaten by a giant concrete bug.”

 

“I told you I could defend my own honour,” Loki replies, sounding extremely smug.

 

“I apologise for ever doubting you,” Tony says as he edges closer to Loki. “Now teleport us back to bed so that I can fuck you through the mattress.”

 

“I don’t think I need to hear anymore,” Bruce says, stepping away from Natasha and purposefully turning his back on Tony and Loki.

 

“Me neither,” says Steve, switching off his com.

 

“Same,” adds Clint, looking as if he might be sick.

 

Natasha calmly switches channels on her com and says, “Director Fury, the threat has been neutralised; SHIELD can manage the cleanup from here.”

 

Natasha waits for the reply before also shutting off her com. “Fury says good job and hopes we enjoy the rest of our day off.”

 

“He does realise that we didn’t actually do anything right?” questions Steve.

 

“Take the compliment Cap,” Natasha advises, patting his shoulder reassuringly as she passes him.

 

“If I’d known this was how it would end I wouldn’t have bothered getting out of bed,” Clint grouses as he follows her.

 

“You did not enjoy my brother’s display of magic?”

 

“No – it just reminded me why I should be glad he’s gone neutral, and that is both annoying and depressing.”

 

Bruce shakes his head, a small smile gracing his lips, and moves to walk with Steve back to Avengers Tower.


	9. Collateral Damage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for going so long without updating but I’ve been rearranging the chapter order as the original chapter 9 didn’t seem to want to be written. Hopefully it’ll be a little more cooperative as chapter 10. 
> 
> Also, this chapter is a lot less cracky and a lot more feel-inducing than previous chapters. You have been warned.

Bruce silently places the mug of tea on the bedside table. Loki ignores the action, his gaze trained on Tony’s slumbering face. Bruce calmly walks around to the other side of the bed and takes a seat in the only other available chair. He carefully sips tea from his own mug as he watches Loki, his expression purposefully kept neutral. Loki has been subdued ever since he discovered Tony had been rushed to the hospital; he’s hardly said a word to anyone outside of requesting he be taken to see Tony. More than Tony’s current condition (stable – with a high chance of a smooth recovery) this is what is currently worrying Bruce: Loki had requested rather than demanded he be taken to the hospital. There had been no rage, no indignation, no threats against the assailant who had shot Tony. The emotion and colour had simply drained from his face and he’d gone impossibly still – a statue in the chaos that the news had caused in Avengers Tower. It was as if he’d gone into shock, which in some respects was the best reaction that any of them could have asked for. The only problem this particular reaction presented was that eventually the shock would wear off and the emotions bubbling beneath the surface would be unleashed. It could happen at any time; could be triggered by the smallest movement or unwise word. And, when Loki did eventually remember that he was the god of wrath and destruction, they would need to act fast to prevent a massacre. That was why Bruce had volunteered to watch him – he didn’t mind sitting in silence and could Hulk out at the first sign of trouble. Plus, if Tony’s condition did change he was the one best equipped to handle the situation.

 

Checking his phone for updates, Bruce is unsure whether he is annoyed or relieved when he has no new messages. He supposes there’s nothing more to really say on the subject. The man had approached Tony in a restaurant, had asked him how he could live with himself – how he didn’t die of shame for protecting and impregnating a monster. Tony had bared his teeth in a smile and told the man it was none of his business. The man had ignored him and continued his tirade: he’d told Tony he wasn’t a hero, that he was as guilty as Loki, that they were both monsters and deserved each other. Rhodey, who Tony had been eating dinner with, had interjected at that point and made sure the man was escorted out. They’d continued eating (because Tony was stubborn and didn’t care that his continued presence made the rest of the customers uncomfortable) and had eventually left the restaurant together. They’d said their goodbyes and Tony had walked over to where Happy was waiting to drive him home. That was when Rhodey had noticed the man from earlier had returned with a gun. He’d dived for it, and that was probably the reason why it hadn’t been a fatal shot. Tony had been rushed to the hospital and spent a few hours in surgery before being sent to the medical bay in Avengers Tower. The decision for him to be moved was as much a consideration for his safety from further assassination attempts as to prevent Nick Fury from having to give the green light to allow a volatile Norse god into a public hospital. Nobody wanted that, especially when the gunman had revealed under SHIELD interrogation that it had been a revenge killing for the wife he’d lost during Loki’s original attack on New York. He’d wanted the monster who summoned the aliens that shot the love of his life to feel the pain of losing someone dear just as he had. The revelation had been met with stony silence in the Tower, along with many furtive looks at Loki. The god had acted as if he had not heard Agent Hill’s report, though, as he had done no more than continue to stare at the hands resting on his swollen belly. A few minutes later he’d repeated his request to be taken to the hospital – Hill had again denied it but this time had informed him that he could see Tony when he was moved to the Tower. Loki had nodded and slowly made his way down to the medical bay in preparation for Tony’s arrival. His departure had alleviated some of the awkwardness in the room but none of the tension. They were all just as worried about Tony as they were about Loki’s eventual reaction to his injury.

 

Bruce puts down his phone and returns to his tea. He can’t speak for the others, but he personally feels sympathy for Loki. Nobody should have to go through this, no matter what they’ve done. Collateral damage isn’t fair or right and neither is shooting an unarmed man. That doesn’t mean he hates the man who has done this to his friend. All he feels for the assailant is pity and a deep sadness that he felt he needed to do such a thing. It makes Bruce wonder about all the other people Loki has hurt and those who have lost loved ones because of him. It’s not a pleasant train of thought in the least and he quickly derails it in favour of rehearsing mathematical proofs.

 

“I suppose this is irony,” Loki whispers without warning. Bruce jumps and focuses his full attention on the god who has not altered his position since last the scientist observed him. “The man who constantly rushes into danger, who has survived terrorists and sorcerers and alien invasions, comes closer to death than he has ever been at the hands of a civilian with a firearm and a grudge that is not even against him.” Loki barks a laugh that is bitter and angry and full to the brim with pain.

 

“Tony will recover,” Bruce says for lack of a better response.

 

“Yes,” Loki replies without looking at him. “But the problem is not if he will recover but how long it will be before he is returned to a similar position. How long will it be before his carelessness and foolishness, his desire to play the hero, causes death to come knocking? How long will it be before his luck runs out? How long before another of my enemies decides to use him as a means to hurt me?” Loki’s voice falters and he trails off into silence.

 

“Tony has enemies too,” Bruce says gently. “Do you think he doesn’t have the same concerns about you? Because he does – one of his greatest fears is that being pregnant will make you and your child a target for his own enemies.”

 

“Those mortal fools are no threat to me.”

 

“Maybe. But what about your son?”

 

Loki is silent. Absently, his hand floats up to his belly and gently caresses it. His eyes go vacant for a moment and Bruce tenses, sure that this is the moment he has been dreading. The floodgates of madness do not open, however. Instead, Loki turns his gaze to his belly with an expression Bruce cannot begin to describe. 

 

“I never wanted this thing inside me,” he admits in what is little more than a whisper. “It was an accident; another detested side-effect of my curse. I would have destroyed it the moment I accepted its existence if it were not for Tony. I saw the joy it caused him and I could not bring myself to take that from him.” Loki’s lips twist in a self-depreciating smile. “It has become painfully, pitifully, clear to me over the past few months that I care for this insane mortal man. The thought of doing anything to cause him true pain repulses me in a way I never imagined it would. Harming his child, or allowing harm to come to it; at this point in time I do not believe I could do more to injure him. And if I were to tell him that even after all these weeks of knowing what grows inside me I still could not muster any fond feelings for it...” Loki’s hand briefly clenches before it again rests flat against his bump. “I am no fool – I know that my pregnancy was the catalyst that caused our relationship to progress beyond being ‘frenemies with benefits’. He is loyal to me only because I am essential to his heir’s survival. When the child is born and I am no longer necessary he might yet continue to care for me as I am the one who gifted him with the son his heart has always secretly desired. However, if I was to lose his child, or it was known that I did not care for it, I do not know how that might affect Tony’s feelings for me. That is why I kept my apathy from him, why I came to you in secret when I believed the child might be in danger. I do not wish to destroy what we have between us.”

 

It amazes Bruce how candid Loki is being with him. Then again, judging by the multiple post-battle analysis’ and debriefings Bruce has sat through, Loki tends to become exceptionally truthful during his monologues or in high-stress situations. Having the person you are currently closest to be hurt because of something you’ve done definitely counts as a high-stress situation in Bruce’s book, so maybe this isn’t such an extraordinary occurrence. Still, that doesn’t mean Bruce is any less disturbed by what Loki has revealed to him.

 

“When I heard that Tony had been injured I was afraid that I might have lost him forever,” Loki continues. “In that moment of fear I felt it for the first time. I believe once or twice I have come close to feeling it, that Tony’s enthusiasm has brushed against my cold heart and been just shy of infecting me. This time, however, I truly felt it. I realised that this is Tony’s child – it is a part of him. Even if Tony died I would not lose him entirely; I would still have his child, still have something that contains both his DNA and mine – a memento of a brilliant man that was mine for but the briefest of times. In that moment I found affection for the thing inside of me. I found that I wanted to keep it as more than insurance to prevent Tony from abandoning me. I wanted to keep it because...because it is our son.”

 

“That’s good. It’s good that you’ve realised that,” Bruce says softly, not liking how freaked out and terrified Loki looks at his own words. When the god does not respond Bruce prompts, “Perhaps you’ll feel more attached if you refer to him as Edward? I think that’s the name Tony settled on, and usually when you name something you find yourself seeing it as an individual rather than an object.”

 

“Edward,” Loki repeats slowly, his breathing slightly erratic. “Edward.” 

 

“That’s right. Yours and Tony’s son – his name is Edward.”

 

Loki takes a deep breath and releases it in a long, trembling exhalation. “Edward. Edward Stark-Lokison.”

 

Bruce allows Loki time to settle before asking, “Are you going to tell Tony any of what you’ve just said?”

 

Loki looks at him sharply. “No. And you will not either.”

 

It’s half an order, half a question. Bruce smiles wryly as he replies, “Doctor-patient confidentiality means my lips are sealed unless you give me permission to speak.”

 

“Good.”

 

The relief is clear under the hastily constructed mask of ferociousness. Bruce forces down the urge to roll his eyes lest he accidently summon the slumbering god of chaos. At this moment Loki seems far too distracted by his own turbulent emotions to feel the need to dish out vengeance, but if he was worked into the right mood Bruce knows the situation could easily and quickly change.

 

Sure that the matter has been settled, Loki returns his attention to Tony’s peaceful visage. It is at that point that Bruce notices how utterly exhausted the god looks. “You should get some sleep,” Bruce suggests gently.

 

The deity frowns. “I wish to be present when he awakens.”

 

“He’s heavily sedated – he’s going to be out for another couple of hours.” When Loki gives no indication that he intends to move Bruce adds, “Tony wouldn’t want you to risk yours or Edward’s health because of him. He’d want you to get some rest so that you’re not dead on your feet when he wakes up. Don’t worry; there will be someone here with him the whole time in case something happens, and if anything does happen JARVIS will inform you immediately.”

 

Loki takes a minute to mull over the proposition. “Do you swear that Tony will not awaken alone in this place?”

 

Bruce is unable to repress a smile at that. “I swear it.”

 

After a moment of staring hard at Tony, Loki sighs. “If he will truly be asleep for hours...”

 

The deity slowly rises to his feet, not once taking his eyes off Tony. Realising that Loki is still hesitating Bruce says, “Tony always lands on his feet you know. He might be human but he’s tough and he’s not going to let a little bullet wound keep him down. He’s too stubborn to die that easily.”

 

“That is true – he is stubborn,” Loki mumbles. Bruce sees his lips quirk into a smile before the god turns and heads for the elevator.

 

Thinking the encounter concluded, Bruce finishes his now cold tea. He places the mug on the tray beside him, and that is when he hears the barely audible, _“Thank you Dr Banner.”_ Bruce turns and manages to catch a glimpse of Loki before the elevator doors close. He smiles and replies, “You’re welcome Loki,” in equally hushed tones. Then he tells JARVIS to inform the others of what has transpired and heads to the coffee machine to brew himself a fresh cup of tea.


	10. The Way to a Man’s Heart...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who have yet to see IM3 I hope this will help fill the void that is composed of nail-biting waiting :)

“Is there anything else I can get for you Brother?”

 

Loki hums thoughtfully before replying, “No, I believe this shall suffice for now.”

 

Bruce attempts not to laugh as his eyes travel over the feast spread out before Loki. Two pizzas, a stick of garlic bread, two burgers, two trays of fries, a basket of fried chicken, a bowl of salad, a bag of chips, multiple dips, and a giant chocolate cake. “Cravings?” he queries with a raised eyebrow.

 

Loki grins. “Indeed. Where once the mere thought of these dishes caused me nausea I now find myself ravenous whenever my senses catch the slightest aroma of grease.”

 

“I’m guessing the salad is a token attempt to be healthy?”

 

Bruce takes the widening of Loki’s grin as confirmation of his speculation. The scientist shakes his head in an attempt to hide his smile.

 

“I would invite you to join us Dr Banner but I believe you are already familiar with Thor’s eating habits.”

 

Thor pouts as Bruce is unable to resist sharing in Loki’s knowing grin. “You make me sound like a beast,” the thunder god complains.

 

“That is because you _are_ a beast,” Loki replies with an undertone of something resembling affection.

 

“Mayhap I do not have your manners Loki but I am in no way a beast,” Thor responds with a twinkle in his eye that is pure delight.

 

“I have seen beasts with less hair and better hygiene than you Thunderer – your plea to my superior civility will not win you this argument.”

 

Bruce shakes his head and moves into the kitchen to make Tony some soup. It has now been just over a week since the billionaire was shot and Tony is still confined to the medical bay. Although the engineer claims he is fine and does not need the rest he has yet to attempt an escape. Bruce suspects this is not so much because Steve threatened to handcuff him to the bed if he did, but because Pepper promised to give his car collection to charity if she caught him out of bed. The scientist would add Loki’s threats of bodily harm to the reasons Tony has decided it in his best interest to take it easy for a few days, but as far as Bruce is aware Tony had been too distracted by Loki’s lips to listen to his words. The trickster hadn’t seemed to mind; when the engineer had pulled him down for a kiss Loki had rolled his eyes before indulging his bed-ridden beloved. He’d given up on holding a serious conversation after the fourth time Tony had convinced him his mouth could be used for better things than talking.

 

Having prepared the soup Bruce places it on a tray and carries it towards the elevator. On the way he once again passes Loki and Thor, who are good-naturedly bickering as they eat. Bruce smiles, glad that Tony getting shot has had at least one positive outcome. With Tony confined to the medical bay Thor had been given the opportunity to mend burnt bridges by playing the role of doting brother. Although initially resistant to the idea, over the last few days Loki seems to have grown to enjoy having Thor run around indulging his every whim. Well, almost every whim – at some point Thor had realised that Loki was playing with him by sending him on ridiculous errands. Thor had called Loki on it and the trickster had laughed. From then on their interactions had been far less tense. Bruce wasn’t foolish enough to think that they had mended their relationship, but they had reached a point where they could joke and maybe even enjoy the other’s company. It was a welcome change for everyone; nobody had enjoyed watching the light go out of Thor’s eyes every time Loki made a hasty exit to avoid being in the same room as his brother.

 

Eventually Bruce arrives in the medical bay. He steps out of the elevator and crosses the floor to Tony’s bedside. The engineer’s greeting morphs into a groan as Bruce places the lunch tray before him. “Soup _again_? What does a guy have to do to get a cheeseburger around here?”

 

“Yesterday you had a fever and regurgitated the chocolate Loki snuck you. Until I’m sure your stomach can handle a cheeseburger I’m keeping you on a simple diet of toast and soup.”

 

“You’re mean,” Tony sulks. “At least give me some coffee – I’m getting withdrawal symptoms over here!”

 

“Again, you’re sticking with water until I’m sure you can handle it.” With a slight smirk Bruce adds, “If you’re a good patient and eat your soup quietly I might be willing to let you have some calming herbal tea.”

 

Tony moans pathetically. “I hate tea, especially herbal tea.” Using his patented puppy dog eyes Tony pleads, “Come on Doc, just one shot of espresso – you know I’m good for it.”

 

Bruce shakes his head with a wry smile. “I’m sure you’re already abusing the painkillers I gave you; I’m not going to give you a coffee high on top of whatever self-induced drug high you’re on.”

 

“What happened to you Bruce? You used to be cool but now you’re a total buzzkill.”

 

“One of us has to be responsible and we both know that person isn’t going to be you Tony.”

 

“I can be responsible when I want to be.”

 

“Of course you can Tony. Now eat your soup before it gets cold,” Bruce adds, hiding the smile caused by his friend’s look of indignation at Bruce’s moderately patronising tone.

 

Tony grumbles something under his breath but complies with the order. After a half dozen mouthfuls of soup he asks casually, “How’s Loki doing?”

 

“He’s doing well,” Bruce answers with a small smile. “He and Thor are bonding in your absence.”

 

“He seems to have done a lot of bonding in the last few days,” Tony says with a meaningful look at Bruce.

 

“I thought you wanted the two of us to become friends,” Bruce replies as he fights not to squirm under the scrutiny of Tony’s gaze.

 

“I did – I do. I’m just surprised it happened whilst I was unconscious. Was that the trigger? Was my being shot what prompted him to stop being an asshole and get to know you a bit?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“And Edward?” Tony continues to interrogate. “He’s started calling him by name since I woke up. How exactly did that happen?”

 

Bruce forces a shrug. “He was very upset when he heard you were hurt. People often seek the company and reassurance of others in times of crisis.” 

 

For a moment Tony just stares at him. “There’s something you’re not telling me. Come on Banner, spill the beans.”

 

Bruce shakes his head. “Sorry Tony. Doctor-patient confidentiality. If you want to know more about what goes on in Loki’s head you’re going to have to ask him.”

 

“Come on Bruce! Can’t you throw me a bone? Give me something so I know which of Loki’s cornucopia of issues I’m dealing with here.”

 

Taking off his glasses, Bruce rubs his eyes wearily. He sighs and replaces them before returning his gaze to Tony. He’s silent as he carefully chooses which words will convey the essence of his conversation with Loki without breaching confidentiality. “I suggest you go watch a soap opera where a scared and confused teenage girl gets knocked up by a man she cares deeply about but is not in a stable relationship with. I’d especially recommend watching the episode where she panics over telling him because she doesn’t want to raise a child on her own, but she also doesn’t want him to be with her just because she’s carrying his child. She wants him to love her because...they’re good together, I suppose.”

 

“Oh,” Tony says quietly. “It’s a self-esteem issue then.”

 

Bruce holds his hands out in a gesture of innocence. “I was just making a suggestion about what TV you should watch tonight. I leave you to interpret that suggestion however you want.”

 

Tony smiles and gives an understanding nod. He then says, more to himself than to Bruce, “I suppose we’ve never really talked about the two of us doing anything together after the kid is born, but that was because I thought he needed selling on the idea of having a family more than us remaining an item.” With a lecherous grin Tony adds, “I guess when I’m all healed I’ll just have to show him how much I enjoy having him around.”

 

Bruce discretely rolls his eyes. “Just remember that I had nothing to do with your decision to show him how much you care.”

 

“Don’t worry Doc; this conversation is strictly off the record.”

 

With a wink Tony returns to eating his soup and Bruce treasures the silence.

 

Then Tony opens his mouth to deliver another awkward question and Bruce wishes he’d utilised his opportunity to leave when he’d had the chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be a 'Loki and Thor bond over food' chapter that turned into more Bruce and Tony bonding. Sigh. Stupid fickle muses.


	11. False Alarm

“Dr Banner, Sir requires you urgently on his level of the Tower.”

 

Bruce immediately throws down his toothbrush and rushes to the elevator. The door opens for him and closes as soon as he is inside. The light for Tony’s floor illuminates as the elevator moves, and Bruce is immensely glad that JARVIS is able to override systems in emergency situations.

 

The elevator stills and the doors slide open to minor chaos. Loki, who is now in his thirty-eighth week of pregnancy and possessing a truly swollen belly, is cursing up a storm as Thor and Tony attempt to keep him standing. Both men are gushing words of calm that are perhaps more for their own benefit than for Loki’s. Either way it doesn’t seem to be helping as Loki is swearing too loudly to hear them and they both seem to be undergoing a mild panic attack.

 

Bruce dashes to Tony’s side and asks, “What happened?”

 

Turning to him with a look of immense gratitude mixed with anxiety, Tony replies, “We think Loki is going into labour.”

 

Nodding that he understands, Bruce gives Loki a rapid examination. He then steps back and, catching Loki’s eye, asks, “Where does the pain start and end?”

 

“My lower back,” the god hisses.

 

Bruce nods slowly. “I don’t think you’re going into labour,” he says gently. “My knowledge of human physiology says this is a false contraction. If you change position and the pain abates then that should confirm my diagnosis.”

 

“ _If? Should?_ ” Loki snarls. “Do you mean to tell me that you do not _know_?”

 

“This is my first male pregnancy; from the beginning everything I’ve done has been under the assumption that you have an anatomy that makes you compatible with (and therefore similar to) human anatomy. So far I’ve been able to make accurate guesses about how your pregnancy works but there’s always been the chance that an anomaly would be thrown up that I couldn’t have anticipated.”

 

“So from the beginning you have lied to me!” Loki rages. He pulls himself up to his full height, the pain apparently forgotten as he continues, “You have told me that Edward was well and that I was well and all of it was lies! You have deceived me you miserable-”

 

“Brother, calm yourself! This is not Dr Banner’s fault,” Thor interjects forcefully.  

 

“I am not your brother,” Loki returns in a hiss. He does, however, take a deep supposedly calming breath. “But you are right - it is not Banner’s fault. It is his,” he finishes with a poisonous glare at Tony.

 

“Hey, Princess, it takes two to tango – you’re just as responsible for this as I am,” Tony replies without flinching.

 

For a moment they glare steadily at each other. Then Loki shrugs off the hands holding him with a noise that indicates disgust. “When will this wretched pregnancy end? I tire of this babe keeping me awake at night by causing me constant discomfort.”

 

Bruce (and the rest of the room) wisely do not comment that the baby will likely be disturbing Loki’s sleep even after it is born. “SHIELD is bringing in a team of vetted specialists to perform the C-section next week. It’ll all be over in a few more days.”

 

With a truly put-upon sigh Loki slumps down into the soft embrace of the sofa. “I require a foot rub.”

 

“I’m sure Hammer Throw will be happy to volunteer,” Tony says with an innocent smile. Loki glares at him until the engineer sighs and moves to the opposite end of the sofa. “The things I do for you,” he mutters, although Bruce is pretty sure this is more show than anything. The billionaire had confided in Bruce a few weeks ago that due to his still healing gunshot wound he’d been unable to...do certain activities with Loki. Although they’d both been disappointed things hadn’t gone as planned Tony had still been able to show Loki how much he appreciated him, and was continuing to show his appreciation by giving the god back or neck rubs whenever it was asked (demanded) of him. Tony might do a song and dance about having to perform these tasks but Bruce knew the billionaire was just happy to be able to spend this time with Loki outside of a hospital setting.

 

“Since the false contractions seem to have stopped can I assume that I’m no longer needed?” Bruce asks the room at large.

 

“That appears to be the case,” Loki replies as his hand carefully explores his abdomen for signs of further pain.

 

“Thank you for your assistance Dr Banner,” Thor says with a bright, beaming smile.

 

“Sorry we pulled you out of bed on a false alarm,” adds Tony.

 

“It’s alright; I wasn’t actually in bed yet,” Bruce replies as he glances down at his pyjamas and bare feet.

 

“All the same – thanks for the hasty assist.”

 

Bruce returns Tony’s smile before wishing them all a goodnight and turning to leave. He pauses, however, just before entering the elevator when he hears Thor ask, “May I repeat the question I posed before my brother was stricken by these ‘false contractions’?”

 

“You may,” Loki sighs wearily.

 

“Do the two of you intend to wed before the child is born?”

 

“No,” Tony replies lazily. “We’ve talked about it and decided neither of us is really the marrying type so why force it? I mean, as much as I would enjoy the spectacle and having a day that’s entirely about _me_ I’m rich enough to do that any day of the week. Actually, I do that _most_ days of the week – I don’t need marriage as an excuse. Plus, I think if you actually care about someone you’ll stay together whether or not you have a piece of paper reminding you that you’re joined together under God’s watchful eye or whatever. And as for all the legal security that comes with marriage – we don’t really have any shared assets and I don’t think we’ll ever be put in a courtroom that accepts spousal privilege.”

 

“So a child born of wedlock is no longer a shameful thing on Midgard?”  

 

Tony snorts. “Trust me Point Break – being born out of wedlock is going to be the least of that kid’s problems with the two of us as parents.”

 

“I believe you are right on that account my friend,” Thor chuckles. “I suppose too it is a wise decision politically. I have heard that kingdoms have been brought to the brink of war because a wedding invitation was lost and a slight was perceived. Unless you chose to have an uncharacteristically quiet union you would likely ruffle many feathers.”

 

“Who knew you had an apt for politics,” Loki drawls whilst still sounding mildly impressed.

 

“I learn from the best.”

 

Deciding he has lingered long enough, Bruce steps into the elevator and silently departs.


	12. End of the Line

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-da! Final chapter is complete, and the longest yet. 
> 
> If anyone is offended by my bad-science or bad-medcine just remember that what I do I do for comic effect. (That is my excuse and I'm sticking with it).

The day of Loki’s C-section arrives and absolutely _nothing_ goes according to plan. Thor accidentally breaks Bruce’s favourite mug, he receives a rejection letter from a science journal he’d sent an article to, and Clint tells him his favourite TV show has been cancelled. Then a new villain calling himself the Green Goblin throws a temper tantrum in Manhattan and the Avengers are called out to apprehend him. Tony and Bruce stay behind with Loki since Tony is a mess of nervous energy that nobody wants let loose in New York, and Bruce is the best person to have on-hand if anything goes wrong medically.

 

Roughly an hour later the team returns to the Tower, despondent. Apparently the Green Goblin had escaped because they had been distracted by a kid in red and blue spandex fanboying over them. Tony laughs until Natasha tells him that the fight has caused traffic to be disrupted and that it will remain that way for several hours. Even if the medical team walks to the Tower Loki’s procedure will still have to be delayed by at least an hour.

 

Tony takes one look at the furious expression on Loki’s face and all traces of humour immediately disappear from his own visage.

 

Eventually the medical team is brought to the Tower by helicopter. They hastily introduce themselves before setting up the specialist equipment they’ve brought with them and scrubbing up for the procedure. Bruce excuses himself at this point, assuring Tony that the last thing he wants to do is share this special day with the Other Guy. Tony objects at first, claiming that this isn’t a stressful environment. Then they overhear Loki snarling obscenities at Thor, who is only doing as the doctors asked and helping Loki change into a paper hospital gown. Apparently as much as Loki hates his maternity clothes (he’d kicked up a real fuss when Pepper bought him women’s garments; he’d only been slightly happier when the next day she’d thrown some XXL sweats at him) he’d rather wear them than the immodest gown. When sharp things start being thrown Tony admits defeat and allows Bruce to retreat to the safety of the common room. Bruce does so gratefully and collapses on the sofa next to Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes. Bruce looks round at the assembly of curious faces (Pepper, Happy, Steve, Natasha, Clint, Jane) and informs them that he was too overcome with emotion to stay in the medical bay. He receives a few understanding nods before everyone returns to what they had been doing before he entered. Bruce closes his eyes in the hope of gaining a few minutes of rest now that he is no longer on-call as Loki’s doctor.

 

Twenty minutes later Bruce’s nap is disturbed when Thor enters the common room after being banished from the medical bay by Loki. After a conversation in which Bruce tries to reassure him that everything will be fine without him, Thor goes to talk with Jane. An hour later JARVIS informs Bruce that the medical bay wishes to video conference with him. He apprehensively takes the call using the interactive coffee table and is greeted with the concerned face of one of the doctors. “Dr Banner? This is Dr Green. Can you tell me which painkillers you usually give the patient and how long he takes to respond to them, as that information doesn’t appear to be in his file?”

 

Bruce blinks owlishly. “I don’t think I’ve ever given Loki painkillers. He’s declined them every time I’ve offered him some.”

 

The truth is that Loki (when he actually has been injured) has always scoffed and claimed that he will heal before the pathetic mortal drugs that are meant for pathetic, weak, mortal men take effect. As this seems to be the wrong time to be pedantic Bruce keeps this information to himself.

 

Dr Green seems to become more troubled at this. “What of his...adopted sibling?”

 

“Thor never bothers with painkillers either. He says the pain teaches him to be more careful in battle.”

 

Dr Green exhales heavily. Apparently that wasn’t the answer she wanted to hear. “In your professional opinion Dr Banner how much anaesthetic would you recommend giving the patient?”

 

An inkling of where this line of questioning is leading suddenly manifests itself in Bruce’s mind and he too starts to feel anxious. “Is Loki not responding to the anaesthetic?”

 

“I’ve given him the maximum recommended dose for someone his height and weight and it seems to not be having any effect on him. Do you think doubling the dosage might work?”

 

Bruce drums his fingers against his knee. “I’m not sure. In terms of metabolism I think Loki is closer to Steve’s metabolic rate than to the average human’s. Although Steve has also never been given an epidural, we do know that his metabolism is roughly four times that of the average human - which might indicate quadrupling the dosage is the best course of action.”

 

The doctor’s eyes widen dramatically. “The foetus – are you sure that’s a good idea?”

 

“No, I’m not,” Bruce sighs.

 

Dr Green echoes his sigh. “I’ll talk it over with the patient and his partner. If they think it’s too much of a risk then they can try for a natural birth.” With a wry smile she adds, “I must admit that I’m curious as to how that might be accomplished.”

 

“Me too,” Bruce agrees before ending the video call. He looks up and sees that everyone is avidly watching him. Feeling a little self-conscious, he offers the room a smile. “They’re the best in their field; they’ll figure out a solution.”

 

Nobody appears reassured by his words. Bruce doesn’t blame them; nobody wants to hear about a complication before the procedure has even begun. Still, there is nothing they can do for Loki, so they slowly drift back into what they were doing before the call came through.

 

Forty-five minutes later Bruce receives another call, this one more frantic than the last. “I quadrupled the dosage like you suggested and the epidural seemed to have taken effect. The surgeon tried to begin the procedure but when he attempted to make the first incision the skin wouldn’t cut. The scalpel wasn’t blunt – it just wouldn’t make the cut. None of our instruments could even score the skin.” Dr Green glances towards a crash off-screen before returning her attention to Bruce. “I should have expected this – the nurse had to force the epidural in. He expressed concern at the amount of force he’d needed to use but none of us listened. I should have guessed that an alien that can survive being thrown off a building would require a stronger cutting implement.”

  

“Dr Green,” Bruce calls, trying to capture her wavering attention. He is well aware that all eyes are on him and he tries hard not to show just how _bad_ he anticipates the situation is about to become. “What is happening down there?”

 

“He turned blue,” the woman almost whispers. “He became agitated and angry when the scalpel wouldn’t work. He sat up and said he would cut the foetus out himself if it would put an end to the ordeal. He summoned a knife out of nowhere and stabbed himself before anyone could stop him. Then he turned blue and started to freak out.” She swallows hard before asking, “Did I do that Doctor? Did quadrupling the dosage turn him blue?”

 

“That wasn’t you,” Bruce reassures.

 

Movement catches his attention and he looks up in time to see Thor rushing towards the elevator. Steve and Natasha follow him; Clint jumps to his feet to act as crowd control. He tells everyone to sit down – the Avengers will handle this. Pepper and Rhodes object that they need to help Tony; Happy stands silent and supportive at his girlfriend’s back. Clint replies that it’s too dangerous and that Tony has all the help he needs.

 

As the three of them continue to argue, Bruce returns his attention to Dr Green. “Help is on the way. If Loki is still freaking out I would advise everyone evacuate to a different floor until he’s calm.” Looking extremely relieved that she has been given permission to escape the drama, Dr Green thanks him and ends the call. Sitting back up, Bruce turns his gaze towards the large flat screen TV. “JARVIS, show me the medical bay.”

 

“Right away Dr Banner.”

 

A live feed from the cameras in the medical bay appears on the flat screen. Most of the medical staff have wisely retreated to the elevator at the far side of the room, leaving Tony plenty of space to attempt to calm a very blue Loki. As far as Bruce can tell the billionaire isn’t having much success. Tony is suited up in the Mark V and extracting himself from an overturned tray of instruments. Once free he stalks over to Loki and reaches out to restrain his arms. His efforts are rewarded with a harsh blow to the chest that once again sends him reeling. Bruce imagines the blow would have shattered Tony’s ribs if he’d been out of his armour.

 

“Shit he’s strong,” breaths Rhodes, who along with the others has crowded behind and beside Bruce.

 

“I think this is actually more terrifying than watching him cry,” adds Pepper as the last of the colour drains from her face.

 

The elevator doors open and Thor and Steve rush to Loki’s side, leaving Natasha to handle the evacuation. They approach the thrashing Jotun on both sides and each grab an arm to restrain. As soon as they come in contact with Loki’s bare skin they both recoil with cries of pain. Bruce leans forward and JARVIS (without needing to be prompted) focuses the camera on what looks like a cold-burn.

 

Steve and Thor share a look before grabbing whatever materials they can to cover their hands. They return to their positions and again try to force Loki onto his back. This time they succeed and, although the material around their hands becomes brittle and cracks as if it has been doused in liquid nitrogen, they continue to hold down the squirming Jotun. Tony utilises this opportunity to dive on top of Loki and use the weight of the suit to subdue him. It doesn’t quite work – Loki is a writhing mass of blue hysteria and Tony is only just able to keep him down when Thor and Steve relinquish their hold to protect their hands from further frostbite. Bruce in no way envies Tony the task of talking Loki down whilst riding the equivalent of a deadly frozen bucking bronco.

 

Eventually Tony’s words get through and Loki stops fighting. The engineer hastily clambers off the Jotun and removes his helmet. “You okay? You back with me babe?” Tony asks breathlessly, his gauntleted hands tightly grasping Loki’s still blue digits.

 

Closing his eyes, Loki nods wearily. Tony smiles weakly and leans down to kiss Loki’s brow. When the billionaire’s lips don’t get burnt like Steve’s hands Bruce (along with everyone else watching from the relative safety of the common room) breathes a sigh of relief.

 

Once JARVIS has given the all-clear Natasha shepherds the medical team back into the sick bay. Whilst two of the nurses examine Thor and Steve’s hands a doctor evaluates Loki. Eventually she steps back and calmly states, “Your panic attack has caused you to go into labour.”

 

Tony’s whole body twitches. Loki frowns. “Should I not be wracked with pain if I am in labour? The false contractions I have previously suffered caused me a great deal of discomfort and I thought true contractions were of the same ilk?”

 

“The epidural is still in effect,” chimes in Dr Green. “The part of your body where the contractions are occurring is still numb so you won’t be able to feel them.”

 

Loki nods, accepting this explanation.

 

“Since the epidural is still in effect it is still possible for you to have the C-section,” the surgeon explains. “However, I won’t be able to perform it. I don’t possess the strength or the blade necessary to perforate the skin: if this is still the route you want to go one of you is going to have to perform the operation.”

 

“Very well,” Loki sighs as he conjures another one of his knives out of thin air.   

 

When the trickster attempts to sit up, however, Tony firmly pushes him back down onto the bed. “No way Jose; one body-image freak-out is enough for today.”

 

Loki glares at him, but seems to accept that Tony has a point as he remains reclined. 

 

“I shall accept the burden of this task,” Thor volunteers gallantly.

 

The nurse who had attempted to treat his frostbite and was now putting pressure on Loki’s self-inflicted wound shakes his head. “Not with those hands you’re not. Even if you can grip the blade without flinching you won’t have anything resembling a steady hand. Trust me: you’re likely to do more damage than good.”

 

“Guess that means I’m out too,” Steve says grimly whilst holding up his bandaged hands.

 

Tony sighs. “Looks like it’s up to me to save the day again.”

 

“No,” Loki objects. “I wish for you to be beside me during this ordeal.”

 

“I will be beside you. I’ll be _inside_ you too, which for once isn’t as dirty as it sounds.” The glare Loki sends him causes Tony to huff in annoyance. “There’s nobody else who can do this, Stitch. Unless you want to wait X number of hours for Edward to pop out naturally, or for me to call Hulk down here to play with the pointy objects, you’re going to have to hold Hammer Throw’s hand while I do this. Actually, you might have to hold his wrist or some other body part as you’ve already broken his hands.”

 

Scowling, Loki is about to offer further objections when JARVIS interrupts. “Sir, there is a guest in the lobby that wishes to speak with you.”

 

“Kinda busy here JARVIS; tell whoever it is to make an appointment.”  

 

“Sir, she says her name is Queen Frigga of Asgard, and would like to know where she might leave her horse to recuperate.”

 

“How did she get a horse into the lobby?” Tony wonders aloud. “JARVIS, give me a visual.”

 

A nearby screen activates and all eyes in the medical bay turn towards it. “JARVIS,” Pepper prompts, and the feed from the lobby also appears on the screen in the common room.

 

At first the video is a wide-angled shot of a lot of anxious employees staring at an eight-legged horse. Then the camera zooms in on the woman standing beside the horse. Her golden hair is tied up in a long braid and she is dressed in a white sleeveless gown that is cinched at the waist by a leather belt adorned with pouches. Sensing eyes on her, she looks up and smiles serenely at the camera.

 

“Your mom’s hot,” Tony comments cheekily. “JARVIS, inform her MILF-ness that she can leave the horse in the lobby – I’m sure reception will take care of it – then bring her up to the medical bay.”

 

“No,” Loki snaps. “Tell her that she is not needed nor wanted here.”

 

“Loki please – there is no midwife more skilled than Mother in all the Nine Realms,” Thor pleads.

 

“I do not care; I do not want her here,” Loki growls.

 

“You sure?” Tony questions with a raised eyebrow. “Because personally I’d rather have those dainty hands operate on me than these mechanical badboys.”

 

Tony flexes one of his gauntleted hands in demonstration. Loki bares his teeth. “I am sure.”

 

“Well, okay then. JARVIS, tell the queen that she has the green lighted to come up.”

 

“What?” Loki snarls.

 

Tony rolls his eyes. “Come on Juno, don’t be like that. I know this isn’t really the most appropriate time for a teary reunion but what are you going to do?” When Loki continues to look as if he is considering the best way to murder Tony, the billionaire adds, “Look, I’m sorry, but this is the way it has to be. Everyone in this room is out of their depth so I’m making an executive decision to call in a specialist. I’d much rather have you mad at me than accidently kill both you and Edward by fucking up this procedure. I don’t think I could live with myself if I did that.”  

 

Slowly, the venom drains from Loki’s eyes. He sighs and admits, “I am sorry too. I know you are only doing what you think is best for your son. I simply do not wish for her to see me like this.”

 

“I get that,” Tony says as he leans in to peck Loki’s lips. “And I’m doing this for you as well as for _our_ son.” When his words elicit a flickering smile Tony continues, “Besides, Juno, this is your mom we’re talking about. After raising you and L’Oreal I’m sure she’s seen much worse.”

 

Loki chuckles at that. He then closes his eyes, apparently bracing himself for the moment his mother arrives. He has little more than a minute to wait before the elevator doors slide open and Frigga steps into the medical bay. Thor rushes forward to greet and embrace her. “Mother, how did you know that we were in need of your skills?”

 

“Your father has been watching proceedings and keeping me regularly informed of my little boy’s pregnancy. As soon as I learnt that he was in trouble I borrowed your father’s horse and came immediately.” That is when she notices the bandages on Thor’s hands. “What happened?”

 

“Jotun frost-burn.”

 

“Here, I have an ointment that should cure the injury in no time at all.” From one of the pouches at her belt she pulls out a small blue bottle and hands it to Thor. “Apply liberally to the affected areas and wait ten minutes for the medicine to work.” The nurse who had dressed Steve’s hands steps forward with a smile and offers her assistance. Thor returns the smile and hands over the bottle. Seeing that her eldest is in good hands, Frigga approaches her youngest. Loki’s eyes remain closed as she stops beside him and carefully brushes a loose strand of hair behind his ear. “Oh Loki,” she sighs, a small smile tugging at her lips. “I have not seen you this blue since you were yourself a babe.”

 

Loki’s eyes open and his gaze connects with Frigga’s. “Hello Mother,” he whispers.

 

“Hello Darling.” She presses a kiss to his brow before turning her attention to Tony. “So you are the Man of Iron who impregnated my son.”

 

“Guilty as charged,” Tony replies with an unrepentant grin.

 

A flirtatious smile crosses Frigga’s lips. “I can see why Loki chose you; you are quite handsome.”

 

“You’re not too bad yourself Your Highness,” Tony replies, his grin turning into a leer.

 

Loki groans. “Stark, this is neither the time nor the place for such behaviour.”

 

“She started it.”

 

Frigga laughs. “Yes, it is very clear to me why Loki chose you.” She then claps her hands and says, “Very well, I shall begin with a quick examination and then I shall talk you through what must be done.”

 

With that Frigga moves to the end of the bed and looks between Loki’s legs. The Jotun closes his eyes and grips Tony’s hand tightly, his face twisted in mortification. Tony, graciously, whispers comforting words into his ear instead of making any of the incest jokes Bruce is certain his brain has supplied him with.

 

When Frigga has finished her examination she quietly converses with Loki’s doctors. They argue in hushed tones until, finally, they come to an agreement. Frigga returns to Loki’s side and huffs, “After consulting with the mortal healers I have been convinced to finish what you have already started.”

 

Loki averts his eyes at Frigga’s pointed look at the nurse still applying pressure to the wound in Loki’s belly. “You too would have been infuriated by their incompetence and inability to perform a simple task.”

 

A sympathetic smile returns to the queen’s lips as she again strokes Loki’s brow. “Even though I prefer to bring children into the world through natural means, I understand that circumstances have made this a unique birth. With the healers’ assistance I will remove the child from your belly and then use a healing stone to mend your wounds. I shall make it as quick and painless as possible; if that is still what you desire Loki.”

 

“It is,” Loki murmurs.

 

“Very well,” Frigga replies. She kisses his cheek before turning to the medical team and saying, “Let us begin.”

 

Minutes later Frigga’s hands have been thoroughly cleaned and her gown covered by an apron. A nurse hands her Loki’s sterilised blade and she moves into position. Even though a screen has been put in place so that Loki will not have to watch the operation, he still closes his eyes. Tony continues to hold his hand and ramble on about absolutely nothing, his gaze occasionally flickering towards Frigga and her progress.

 

Eventually Frigga surfaces with a bloody, screaming baby cradled in her hands. A nurse approaches with a blanket and the queen reluctantly hands over the child. She accepts a cloth from one of the doctors and wipes the worst of the blood from her hands. After returning the cloth she pulls an innocuous looking stone from one of the pouches at her belt and crushes it over Loki’s wound. Everyone watches in amazement as, just like Thor and Steve’s frostbite, the wound heals rapidly until it is as if Loki had never been operated on.

 

A moment later the medical team shake themselves out of their stupor, and there is a flurry of movement as equipment and blood-soaked towels are removed. Whilst Frigga cleans away the rest of the blood the nurse returns with the baby. Now that he is no longer covered in gore it is clear to see that, like his father, his skin is deep blue in colour. When Edward opens his eyes they are a shinning ruby red.

 

“Well,” says Tony, “this is unexpected.”

 

The nurse holds Edward out for him to take but for some reason Tony hesitates.

 

“I think the proud mother should get to hold him first.”

 

The nurse doesn’t react as she turns her attention towards Loki. The still blue trickster stares at the child with wild eyes. “It is blue.”

 

Raising an eyebrow, the nurse turns back to Tony, who squirms under her gaze. “I’m wearing the Suit – I might hurt him.”

 

“Does it not come off as easily as you put in on?” the nurse asks facetiously.

 

“It does.” Tony continues to squirm before blurting, “I don’t like to be handed things.”

 

As if sensing the tension in the room the baby begins to whimper.

 

“Tony,” Steve chastises.

 

“I have a thing alright – don’t judge me!”

 

Rolling her eyes, the nurse walks over to Thor. “Do you have any issues with holding your nephew?”

 

“Nay.”

 

The nurse gingerly places him in Thor’s massive hands and says, “He’s seven pounds, eleven ounces; a very acceptable weight.”

 

Thor smiles as he cradles the baby. “Greetings nephew. I hope you grow with speed for I look forward to the day when I might help teach you to hunt and fight and ride.”

 

“It will be a few years before he is old enough for those things my dear,” Frigga says as she appears at Thor’s side. Thor hands Edward over to his mother, who smiles fondly down at the baby and coos, “Hello Grandson. My, what a handsome boy you are.”

 

“Handsome,” Loki interjects, snapping out of his stupor. “He is Jotun. He is a monster.”

 

“Loki, he is not a monster,” Frigga chides softly.

 

“He is a monster without magic and the redeeming ability to hide his heritage. Do not dare to tell me that had I not possessed such an ability I would have been abandoned to the eternal winter of Jotunheim instead of adopted to live a lie in Asgard.”

 

“Times have changed Loki. The war with Jotunheim is a thing of the past and the pain brought on by memories of lost loved ones has faded with age. People are ready to move on, to discard their prejudices, if you would only give them the opportunity.”

 

“You are foolishly optimistic about people. Things are no different now than they were a thousand years ago, both on Asgard and here on Midgard. The mortals still fear the unknown, are still threatened by those that are other than them. This child will receive no sympathy here. It will be hated and feared and ridiculed no matter where it wanders. It would be kinder to put it out of its misery than to subject it to the ignorance of this realm.”

 

“I’m going to pretend that’s the stress of the day and the drugs advocating infanticide,” Tony interjects quietly, glaring at Loki. “Because that ‘monster’ you’re talking about is my son. It doesn’t matter what he looks like; the blood in his veins is my blood and I’m not going to discard him just because he’s a dead ringer for that 90’s song. I’d love him even if he was pink and sparkly and burped rainbows. Actually, I think I might love him more if he could burp rainbows because that would be-”

 

“Tony,” Steve interrupts.

 

“But I digress. Yeah, alright, he’ll probably have a hard time fitting in with the other kids. There will likely be a _plethora_ of idiots who’ll give him a hard time because he’s blue and has two dads. But you know what? He’s my kid so he’s going to bear all of that and rise above it. It’ll hurt knowing people call him a freak behind his back because he’s so much better than them and they’re dying of jealousy because his dad is a billionaire who builds the biggest and best weapons – but at the end of the day he’s going to know that he can come home to people who love him and don’t think he’s all that different from them. I’m going to raise him so that he believes there is absolutely nothing wrong with him, and if you can’t believe that too then you don’t belong here.” Without flinching Tony continues, “You have two choices Loki: you either put this internal-racism bullshit behind you and move on, or you get the hell out of my Tower. The choice is yours. I’m not looking for an answer right now but I want to make it clear where I stand on the subject. I want my son to have a happy childhood and that can’t happen if the people who are supposed to love him believe him to be a monster.”

 

In the silence that follows the nurse wheels a cot over to the group. Frigga meets Tony’s eyes with a mix of approval and what Bruce guesses is a promise that she will hurt him if he in turn unnecessarily hurts her family. She then places Edward in the cot and allows the nurse to bring him to Tony. The engineer hurriedly steps out of the suit and, with exaggerated carefulness, picks up his son. A dopey smile appears on his face as he stares down at the quiet babe.

 

“Hey there Edward. How are you doing buddy?”

 

Edward blinks up at his father with red eyes that are wide with wonder. Tony continues to smile as he playfully pokes his son’s blue nose. Edward’s jaw drops in amazement and Tony chuckles.

 

Whilst all this is occurring, Loki stares contemplatively at the pair. Eventually, he sighs. “I shall heed your warning Stark. Now please – leave me to rest. All of you,” he adds with a meaningful look at Thor and Frigga.

 

“That’s probably for the best,” Tony replies. Still holding Edward, he leans down to kiss Loki’s temple.

 

When Tony steps back Frigga moves in to press her own kiss to Loki’s brow and murmur, “Sleep well my dear.”

 

“Yes, sleep well Brother.”

 

Steve simply nods as he follows the Norse gods out of the medical bay. Natasha lingers long enough to fully assess the situation before joining the others in the elevator.

 

Loki closes his eyes and Bruce orders JARVIS to cut the feed from the medical bay.

***

The weeks following Edward Robert Stark’s birth are, for the most part, uneventful. Frigga remains in the Tower under the pretence of answering any questions Tony might have about how to raise his newborn Jotun son. It doesn’t take long for Bruce to work out that this is only part of the reason for her extended visit. Another part is that she has missed Loki, and the two of them spend many hours conversing in private. Bruce isn’t sure what they talk about but if he had to guess he’d say that Frigga has been trying to aid Loki in ridding himself of his internalised racism. It would explain why Loki regularly leaves the Tower after their talks in a dark mood and returns hours later smelling of ash and gunpowder and the remains of SHIELD’s enemies. Natasha doesn’t confirm Bruce’s suspicions about Loki’s extracurricular activities per se, but she and Clint are notably tenser around Loki than they ever were before.

 

Whilst Loki seems to spend most of his time under a black cloud, Tony is relishing the joys of parenthood. He holds Edward every chance he gets and is surprisingly good at keeping to the schedule Pepper has drawn up for him. He feeds, changes, bathes, and puts Edward down for his naps. That’s not to say that he is _good_ at all of those things, but he tries and does not complain about doing them. Everyone is impressed.

 

Occasionally Tony hands care of Edward over to eager in-laws so that he can spend time in his lab to stop his bots from getting jealous. Bruce would have thought that Tony would also be spending some of this free time with Loki. Bruce would’ve thought that Tony wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off of Loki now that the trickster is back to his normal colour and has lost all of his baby-weight. However, Bruce would be wrong; as far as he is aware they haven’t shared a bed since Edward was born.

 

 When Thor asks Tony about his apparent lack of contact with Loki, the inventor replies that he is giving Loki some space to think about what he wants. Remembering a previous conversation with Loki, Bruce is forced to bite his tongue. The temptation to enlighten Tony, to tell him that his seemingly sensitive gesture is in fact working to confirm Loki’s fears that he is redundant now that Edward has been born, is formidable and hard to quash. In the end, though, he succeeds in keeping his lips sealed. He’d promised Loki he wouldn’t repeat what they’d discussed and Bruce doesn’t want to break the fragile trust between them unless he has to. That is why, instead of confronting Tony, it is the trickster that Bruce seeks out. In what is very much an awkward, one-sided dialogue, Bruce explains Tony’s faux pas before fleeing the scene of the conversation. Loki’s mood improves somewhat after that, much to Bruce’s relief.

 

That doesn’t mean, however, that Loki is able to run back into Tony’s arms now that he has been relieved of his worst fears. The issue of where he stands with Edward still remains between them. Bruce knows that their relationship will be left on-hold until Loki comes to a decision, and Loki seems to be in no rush to make that decision. He avoids Edward like the plague and refuses all of Thor and Frigga’s attempts to get him to hold and bond with his son. When he is certain Loki is not in the building Clint comments that the trickster is like a jealous older sibling who resents the new baby for getting all of the attention, except a 1000 times worse because Loki is Loki and not a mostly-innocent three year old. Bruce has to somewhat agree with the analogy, because like the three year old Loki knows that he has to eventually learn to like the new baby if he wants love from the ones fussing over it. If Loki didn’t want to (or thought he couldn’t) overcome his prejudices he would have left the Tower days ago and returned to a life of attempting to subjugate the populace. As it is he’s stuck around and (Bruce guesses) attempted to rise above the racism Asgard installed in him through his sessions with Frigga. Bruce feels he should admire this dedication and the obvious love Loki feels for Tony, but the pessimistic side of him says that is a bad idea. The eternally cynical voice in his head tells him to rid himself of the fond feelings he’s developed for Loki over the last few months, as the Jotun is never going to be able to overcome his prejudices. In time either he or Tony will become sick of the indecision and he’ll return to a life of villainy. Bruce’s response to hearing that voice is to go watch Tony and Thor play with Edward, because the adorableness of that scene sends the cynical voice in his head running. If Loki actually took the time to watch two of the biggest kids Bruce has ever seen re-enact some of their favourite battles for a child who has absolutely no clue what is going on then Bruce is sure the god would have a change of heart; the scientist doesn’t see how anyone could hold being blue against Edward when there is _that much_ love in the room.

 

Eventually, Loki has no choice but to interact with Edward. When the Avengers are called out to stop the Green Goblin (and the whole host of new villain friends he picked up during his hiatus) from attacking New York, Loki is the only one available to babysit his son. Pepper is in L.A. with Rhodey and Happy for business, Frigga has returned to Asgard for supplies, Jane has gone back to New Mexico because she is sick of a broody Thor begging her for a baby, and Tony would rather leave Edward alone than with some SHIELD agent he has yet to fully vet. As much as Loki attempts to protest Tony is adamant that Loki will be the one to watch over their son.

 

“Look, Reindeer Games, I don’t really have a lot of options here. It’s only going to be for a few hours and you’ll have JARVIS to hold your hand through it all.”

 

“If that is the case then why do you not leave your child solely under your mechanical servant’s supervision?”

 

“Because,” Tony huffs, “Edward kicks up a fuss if there’s nobody there to hold him after his nap; and before you say anything: I’ve invented a robot that will pick him up and rock him, but unfortunately he can tell that it’s not a real person and screams until somebody with a pulse gives him attention. That’s why you’re needed. All you have to do is hold him and talk to him when JARVIS calls. It’s an easy task and it’s just for a few hours. If JARVIS develops arms and a pulse before then you are relieved of your duties.” At the suddenly interested glint in Loki’s eyes Tony levels a finger at him. “No magical experimentation on JARVIS. He has instructions to tattle if you start getting your mischief on.”

 

Loki is silent for a moment before asking, “Why are you so sure that I will not harm him? I could toss him out the window the moment your back is turned, and neither you nor your machines would be able to stop me. Why are you so willing to put your faith in me?”  

 

“Because Rudolph,” Tony answers seriously, his hand reaching up to cup Loki’s cheek, “I trust you not to do something so stupid and rash that it will put you on my eternal shit-list.”

 

“What if I told you that your trust is foolish and misguided?”

 

Tony grins lopsidedly. “Vixen, if you were actually as sneaky and untrustworthy as you’d like us all to believe you would have enchanted _me_ to throw Edward out the window weeks ago.”

 

“What makes you think I did not attempt and fail such a spell?”

 

“Loki,” Tony replies, still smiling, “stop being an asshole and promise to hold our son after his nap.”

 

Loki sighs and makes the promise. Tony pecks his cheek as a reward before calling the suit and rushing off into battle.  

 

After the fight is ended the Avengers return to the Tower. Upon their arrival Loki immediately shoves Edward into Tony’s arms before disappearing. Nobody sees him for 24 hours following the incident, but when he finally surfaces he seems in relatively high spirits. A week later Loki is once again called upon to babysit and, after another bout of verbal sparring, he reluctantly agrees. This happens six more times over a number of months until, one day, the Avengers return to the Tower after an intense battle to find Loki sprawled on the floor with Edward lying beside him. For once the trickster does not leave the second he hears them approach. Instead he remains where he is, projecting an illusion into the air above him that has Edward laughing and reaching for the pretty lights.

 

After a beat in which they all marvel at the unexpected turn of events, Tony steps out of his armour and pads over to the two Jotun with a fond smile adorning his lips. He eases himself onto the floor beside Edward and tickles his tummy. Edward squirms and gurgles but is still too occupied by Loki’s illusion to give Tony much attention. Tony also stares at the illusion and says nonchalantly, “So, how did it go?”

 

Loki does not reply immediately. With a wave of his hand the illusion fades out of existence and he carefully turns onto his side. He lets Edward take one of his fingers, and from that meagre contact blue spreads across Loki’s skin. His stunning red eyes meet Tony’s and he says, in all seriousness, “Our son is royalty and deserves a kingdom of his own. I will require your assistance in choosing a nation in which to engage in a glorious but short-lived campaign.”

 

Tony chuckles and reaches out to cup Loki’s cheek. As his thumb caresses the Jotun’s still prominent cheekbone he replies, “How about I just buy him a kingdom and we skip all the messy bloodshed?”

 

Sighing, Loki answers, “It will not be the same but I suppose it shall do until he is old enough to conquer his own world.”

 

With a wide, brilliant grin Tony leans in to kiss Loki, whilst Edward attempts to eat his father’s finger. Bruce smiles and, along with the rest of the Avengers, leaves the family to have their moment in peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As far as I'm aware this is the end of the series. If I am bombarded with requests for more, a further sequel may appear at a later date. Right now I need to focus on my Frostiron Big Bang fic (whose plan keeps getting longer and longer and I now have absolutely zero worries in regards to reaching 15000 words). 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has kudos-ed or commented on this fic. Your support means a lot to me :)


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